For lightly-raced local Animalia, today’s feature Narooma Cup (1660m) at Moruya is part two of a South Coast summer cup double target, and might also be confirmation of a bargain buy for his owners.

The former Godolphin gelding bred on American lines was bought at a ‘‘tried’’ Canberra sale last spring for $50,000, but already the four-year-old has recouped two-thirds of that outlay after winning his first two starts for the Matt Dale stable, firstly in a BM70 (1300m) at Canberra just before Christmas before stepping up to claim the Moruya Cup (1425m) in dominant style.

Today he will strive to become just the fifth horse in 27 years to claim the Moruya-Narooma Cup double, and then on to some earmarked staying features, including the Canberra Cup in March. Certainly, connections have little or no doubt Animalia ($2.90) will run out the extra journey, even with a sharp rise in weight, but in what could easily become a battle of tactics in the small field, he won’t get it all his own way.

Apart from well-credentialed seven-year-old former French import Green Sweet ($3.40) who won the Albury Cup in 2017, but has gone 17 runs without a win and is forced to carry a big weight today, a couple of longshots crossing the mountains loom as flies in the ointment.