With three starters in Saturday's $3.1 million Caulfield Cup, Waller has had two of his team, Who Shot Thebarman and Royal Descent drawing the two outside gates for Australia's second most important staying handicap.

His third hope, Grand Marshal, a Sydney Cup winner, managed gate six, prompting  Waller to comment: "Perhaps if I painted Royal Dissent the colour of Grand Marshal and changed the gates it could be a winning result.

"The only problem would be that I wouldn't be around come Melbourne Cup day," Waller quipped.

"I can't really believe it. Once again my horses are drawn the outside. At the last three Caulfield meetings it seemed every horse I was saddling up was going to jump from an outside gate."

Waller won last Saturday's Caulfield Guineas with Press Statement, who jumped from barrier 14 and was forced to lead throughout because of the awkward draw.

"There's not much I can do about it, all the talk in the world won't reverse the gates," he said.

In contrast, the New Zealander Mongolian Khan retained his grip on favouritism at $4.50 after drawing barrier nine, but that gate will become barrier six on race day after the exclusion of the emergencies for the group 1 event.

However, Mongolian Khan didn't shorten as dramatically as most suspected when the barriers were drawn.

The connections of high-class Japanese stayer Fame Game were thrilled at drawing barrier one,   maintaining that an inside gate at Caulfield was pivotal.

However, they were later given the sobering fact of history that no horse has won from gate one since 1941.

Champion European trainer Michael Stoute would be delighted with his runner Snow Sky's barrier three.

Damien Oliver, who is in career-best riding form, is likely to give Snow Sky a tactically perfect run in the 2400-metre event.

Interstate money began to come in for the stayer, with the $15 on offer before the barrier draw  being cut to $12.

Trip To Paris, another overseas galloper, drew barrier five, a perfect position with Tommy Berry to now take the ride with his original mount, Quest For More, in a precarious position as first emergency.

The other Japanese galloper, Hokko Brave, was less fortunate than Fame Game, drawing barrier 19 and he is now a $15 chance.

Ladbrokes bookmakers slashed the price of Trip To Paris from $35  to $21.

Trip To Paris is trained by Ed Dunlop, the man who has brought three-time Melbourne Cup runner-up Red Cadeaux, one of the most popular international racehorses in decades,  to Australia.

Rising Romance,  runner-up in last year's Caulfield Cup and who has been thwarted by shocking barrier draws this spring, tumbled in price from $16 into $12 after drawing two.

A spokesman for Ladbrokes  said: "Perhaps the biggest surprise post-barrier draw were the moves for the John O'Shea-trained duo, Complacent(10)  and Magic Hurricane (4).

"Complacent has been well supported, firming from $18 to $16 despite needing two scratchings to come from the final acceptors as he is second emergency.

"Magic Hurricane's move is even quirkier, given he's fourth emergency, and has firmed from $41 to $21," he said.