Michelle Payne emerged from the jockeys' room after the Geelong Cup with purpose, approaching connections of the winner Qewy and runner-up Grey Lion, in her quest for back-to-back Melbourne Cup wins.

The first woman to take home a Melbourne Cup is still without a confirmed ride for November 1 and her ability to make a light weight would be attractive to both sets of connections. She watched the cup before leaving the track and knew the first two home were opportunities for her.

Payne would have been impressed by the staying test the pair had just put on, with her brother-in-law Kerrin McEvoy winning his third Geelong Cup with an outstandingly judged ride on Qewy for Godolphin.

He is booked to ride Alamdin for Lloyd Williams in the Melbourne Cup, while Katelyn Mallyon, who was on runner-up Grey Lion, has a booking for Herbert Power Handicap winner Assign.

McEvoy suggested that Qewy, a former jumper who was runner-up during Royal Ascot and the Glorious Goodwood festival at his last two runs, will have no problems running the 3200 metres.

"I knew he was a strong stayer and that he was very tough," McEvoy said. "Once he got rolling he was always going to be very hard to run down.

"I got him into a rhythm and at the top of the hill I asked him to go and away he went.

"He is going to be even better at two miles."

McEvoy is the best rider of stayers in the country and he got this race right.

He took front from barrier rise and used stop and start tactics before he rolled strongly from the back straight, daring his rivals to run him down.

The main danger was to his outside. Grey Lion threatened to run him down in the straight but could only get within a long head. The winner's stablemate Oceanographer came from last to run a closing third.

"It turned into a dogfight and [Qewy] was just too tough," Mallyon said.

The win should give Qewy a spot in the Melbourne Cup and he is open to a penalty, which would boost him up the order of entry from 32, where he sits after his win.

Qewy will look to join Media Puzzle, Americain and Dunaden as raiders that used the Geelong Cup as a springboard to Melbourne Cup success.

It continued a brilliant first trip to Australia for Newmarket trainer Charlie Appleby. Scottish was runner-up to Jameka in the Caulfield Cup and Qewy and Oceanographer one-three at Geelong.

"We came close at Caulfield but to get this win is fantastic because it was a plan to come here and then go on to the Melbourne Cup," assistant trainer James Ferguson said.

"I thought the other horse [Grey Lion] was going to get him but he was very brave and it was a good win.

"The other horse [Oceanographer] was very good as well and it is good result for us."

Grey Lion's trainer Matt Cumani joked, "that was in the plan to get the Melbourne Cup without a penalty."

"He was very good and just found one stronger on the day but the way they cleared out from the rest was impressive," Cumani said. "It looks like we are in the Melbourne Cup and that will be his next start."

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