The recent rainfall in Melbourne, coupled with expectations of further showers, has been a relief for Glen Thompson as he aims for a Melbourne Cup slot with Whisky On The Hill.

The Listed Roy Higgins (2600m) at Flemington this Saturday offers a ‘win and you’re in’ qualification for the Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington come November.

Whisky On The Hill is competing for that coveted spot against 12 other contenders, though Thompson admits the stayer’s lead-up to Saturday’s event has been far from perfect.

The gelding heads into the race fourth-up and follows a recent sixth-place effort behind Birdman in the Peter Young Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield on March 14.

Prior to that, he recorded a midfield result in the Australian Cup Prelude (2000m) one week earlier, which came four weeks after resuming with a respectable fifth over 1600m at Caulfield on February 7.

Thompson noted that Saturday’s contest was targeted after Whisky On The Hill’s success in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) at Flemington during Melbourne Cup week.

“It’s been the plan since the time he came in, but we haven’t had the smoothest of preps,” Thompson said.

“He missed a run early on which really put us on the backfoot.

It’s unfortunate the programming here isn’t ideal to get to a race like this as there was no ideal lead-up, only a 2000-metre race three weeks beforehand.

He was supposed to run over 2000-metres at Caulfield two weeks before the Flemington race, but he pulled a shoe off and stood on a nail, so he missed that run.

We ran him at Flemington and I couldn’t go third-up into a 2600-metre race, so I dropped him back in distance and ran in the Peter Young.

He’s fit enough for it. He wouldn’t be running if I didn’t think he was.

The bit of rain forecast is ideal, it doesn’t look an overly strong race, but he hasn’t had the perfect prep for it.”

Thompson mentioned that the Sydney Cup (3200m) at Randwick on April 11 is still an option for Whisky On The Hill, particularly should heavy rain arrive interstate.

“I tossed up about aborting this race before the 1800-metre at Caulfield and running in the Manion Cup in Sydney, but then he’s got this 2600-metre run under the belt if we do decide to go to Sydney,” Thompson said.

Explore the Australian betting sites for top racing odds on the Roy Higgins at Flemington.