The barrier draw for the group 1 race was held on Monday and Hunter Regional Final winner Far Out Bro gained gate five, which will become four with the second emergency out.

"It's a good barrier and he should get every opportunity from there," Ruggari said. "Rocknroll Runa [gate two] probably looks the early leader. Whether they plan on holding the front or taking a sit, I'm not sure, but Far Out Bro should be in the first half of the field."

Ruggari said Jack Callaghan, who drove three pacers into the Hunter final then won with Far Out Bro, would take the reins of Metropolitan Final winner Lets Get Rockin and Geary would steer his qualifier.

Callaghan won with Michael Doltoff-trained Lets Get Rockin, which has the same ownership as Far Out Bro, at Menangle on Saturday night, 24 hours after the Newcastle victory.

Far Out Bro dominated the Hunter race by 17 metres and was a $6 TAB chance for the state decider. Lets Get Rockin, from gate five with emergencies out, was $2.20. Hunter runner-up Sergei was $71 from 11.

At Newcastle on Monday, trainer Clayton Harmey and driver Blake Hughes had a treble with Saint Crusader, Chevrons Pass and Comet Crusader. Harmey made it four with Dhaulagiri, which gave Callaghan a treble.

Draw/odds: 1 Defiant ($31), 2 Rocknroll Runa $2.90, 3 Lyrical Genius $7.50 4 Hez Dusty (EM2) $8.50 5 Far Out Bro $6, 6 Oleg (EM1) $101, 7 Lets Get Rockin $2.20, 8 Barrett $71, 9 Beale Street $101, 10 Ballerini $31, 11 Sergei $71, 12 Rockin With Elvis $26.

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