In these speed-obsessed days it is a truism that not many horses are bred to get the Derby distance of 2500 metres, still fewer to develop and mature as staying stars of the future.

But now and again a galloper comes along who proves the exception to the rule.

The last Derby winner to go on and score in the Melbourne Cup was Lloyd Williams' exceptional grey Efficient, who triumphed in the Derby in 2006 and the Cup a year later.

Can Chris Waller's progressive four-year-old Preferment, who galloped right towards the head of Melbourne Cup markets with his slashing win in the group 1 Turnbull Stakes at Flemington on Sunday, follow in his footprints this year?

We will all know in a month, but right now Preferment looks better placed than any other Derby winner in the eight years since Efficient beat English raider Purple Moon to become the hero of the first Tuesday in November.

Like Efficient, he is by Zabeel, the New Zealand stallion who died late last month after a fabulous stud career in which he sired three Melbourne Cup winners.

But while Efficient took a while to hit peak fitness in his four-year-old Cup winning season - he didn't run a place in four outings -Preferment has hit the ground running.

The $11 shot's short-head win in the Turnbull from stablemate Royal Descent ($6) and Ciaran Maher's VRC Oaks winner Set Square ($19) was his second from three starts this campaign, Preferment having won the group 2 Hill Stakes at Randwick last time out. That form was given a timely boost on Saturday when runner up Magic Hurricane won the group 1 Metropolitan at Randwick.

So can Preferment do it? Certainly his all-conquering trainer Chris Waller,who saddled his 51st group 1 winner, believes he can be competitive in anything this spring, including the weight-for-age championship of Australasia, the 2040-metre Cox Plate in three weeks.

"He's a very exciting horse. It's just good to see him showing speed over 2000 metres, not just second-up in Sydney last start but again today against probably some of the better horses around. We know he will get the 2400 metres and beyond so he's a very special horse," Waller said.

"He"s certainly matured this year. He was a maiden when he won the Derby but untapped and not pushed to be there. We just let him get there himself. I know the Derby doesn't always throw up a good record in terms of going towards Melbourne Cups, but with this horse it's a little bit different. He was very lightly raced and got there himself.

"I will speak to all the people who have been there before. I can't speak to Bart Cummings but I have spoken to him plenty of times and he has certainly given me help along the way. We will be thinking about what he would be doing. We will just have a chat to the Lee Freedmans the Lloyd Williams and see what they could offer.

"A Cox Plate could come into contention now. It's a good problem to have," added Waller.

Jockey Hugh Bowman believes that the big, strong-galloping Preferment will be much better suited to Flemington than Moonee Valley or Caulfield, but much would depend on the tactical way a Cox Plate or Caulfield Cup was run.

"It was a good win by a good horse. What more can I say. He likes Flemington, but he's a more mature unit than last year. Last year even though I wasn't riding him, I was doing the work with him, and I felt the race was coming too soon but he managed to get the job done.

"You saw a glimpse of him in the autumn but wet tracks halted his progress. You only have to look at him, the horse has got presence and when you ride him he's got a group 1 action. He is developing, he is really starting to mature into a furnished athlete but my gut feeling is that he will be a better suited horse on a galloping track."

*Champion jockey Damien Oliver will miss next weekend's Caulfield Guineas meeting after being hit by a 10-meeting suspension for causing interference at Flemington. He will miss the ride on Team Williams star Fawkner in the Caulfield Stakes.