A Lloyd Williams-owned favourite with Frankie Dettori aboard in a big race on the first Tuesday in November.
It's a dream scenario for Newcastle trainer Kris Lees that in years gone by would suggest he's in the running for a first Melbourne Cup win.
But while Lees' hopes of a Cup runner fell short this year, Racing NSW's inaugural Big Dance meeting at Randwick has enabled him to bring together the dream combination for a crack at a $2 million feature race on Tuesday with Hosier.
The Irish import is the first horse Lees has trained for Williams, a seven-time winning owner in the Melbourne Cup, whose close association with Dettori has brought the Italian superstar to Sydney to partner Hosier, which was a $5 favourite for the Big Dance (1600m) with Bet365.
"It's a changing landscape and it certainly is exciting," Lees said of having Dettori pilot Hosier.
"He's world class and one of the greatest jockeys ever, his record would suggest, so it's great to have him on in a feature race."
Dettori, who has ridden more than 500 group race winners, will also steer Cristal Breeze in the last for Lees on a program offering more than $3.6 million in prizemoney.
"It's a good initiative, giving horses that wouldn't normally have an opportunity to race for big prizemoney, so it's a great opportunity for owners," Lees said of the meeting.
"It's not only that Big Dance race, the rest of the races have pretty much all but Saturday city prizemoney, whereas in previous years it's just been city midweek prizemoney, so [Racing NSW chief Peter V'landys] has made it more attractive across the board. There's big fields and it will work well."
The focus, though, is the Big Dance, which brings together country cup winners and runners-up from the previous 12 months.
Lees has four qualifiers, led by Hosier and Scone Cup winner Rustic Steel ($11).
Hosier, which won the Coffs Harbour Cup, will have to overcome a poor draw in 20 and Lees was hoping for predicted rain to soften the track. The six-year-old has run once since qualifying in August, winning well on a heavy Randwick surface.
"It's not ideal, but he'll push forward and put himself in the right spot," Lees said of the gate.
"It was a nice tick-over win but he was gifted that race. He's had things go his way and he probably doesn't want it to firm up too much. That would be a little concern."
Rustic Steel, with Nash Rawiller to ride from gate seven, has had three unplaced runs in the lead-up, which has been marred by a foot abscess.
"Rustic Steel had a minor setback when he missed the run in the Shannon Stakes, but he's now had a run at the 1500 and that's brought him on," Lees said.
"He probably needed that run there, but he's in good order.
"His form reads all right on [wet tracks] but I'd probably prefer it not too wet for him."
Kedah and Spanish Point, both at $126, are his other Big Dance runners.
Kedah won the Ballina Cup, while Spanish Point claimed the Lismore Cup to make the race.
Lees agreed both would have been better placed in the consolation race for Big Dance qualifiers, the $500,000 The Little Dance, on the card, but "they won their respective races so that's where they land".
Boom Newcastle apprentice Dylan Gibbons gets the chance on Kedah from gate 12, while Andrew Adkins has Spanish Point from eight.
Gibbons has already made the most of the chance to meet Dettori, who rode at Saturday's Golden Eagle meeting at Rosehill.
"He idolises him and he already got a photo with him on Saturday," Lees said.
Also on the program, Lees has Gibbons aboard The Bopper in race three, a 1000m benchmark 84 handicap.
"He's got a good fresh record, he's a winner at 1000 metres at Randwick, so he gets a few ticks and he'll run well," he said.
Grande Rumore will race along with Cristal Breeze in the 10th race, a benchmark 84 handicap over 1200m. Gibbons rides favourite, unbeaten Newcastle mare Norweigan Bliss, in the race. It will be her first since a bleeding attack in May.
"I think the favourite will be very hard to beat, the horse of Nathan Doyle's, but they are both capable fresh," Lees said of his pair.
Lees' unbeaten four-year-old Cloudland was to race in the fourth but he was scratched on Friday because of an elevated temperature.
