The late Monsun has sired the past two Melbourne Cup winners and connections of Excess Knowledge are hoping that becomes at hat-trick this November.

The Gai Waterhouse-trained Excess Knowledge begins his campaign at Caulfield on Saturday in the Group Two P B Lawrence Stakes (1400m), his first step towards a Cup start.

Waterhouse won the Melbourne Cup two years ago with Fiorente while another son of Monsun, the imported Protectionist, won the famous 3200m race last year when trained by German Andreas Wohler.

Excess Knowledge will get his chance to prove he is a Cups contender and Waterhouse's stable spokesman Mark Newnham is convinced the European import has matured again since a short but successful autumn campaign.

The six-year-old is on the second line of P B Lawrence betting behind Group One winner Smokin' Joey who comes off a last-start Bletchingly Stakes win.

"He's had a really good preparation," Newnham said.

"Gai intentionally gave him a short autumn to let him fully mature as she believes he's a Cups horse.

"He's bred along the same lines as the last two Cup winners, Fiorente and Protectionist, but he showed last preparation that he's versatile enough at a shorter trip.

"His trials have been good and Kerrin McEvoy has been keen to ride him, hence him going to Melbourne tomorrow."

Excess Knowledge won the Bert Lillye Memorial (1300m) at Kembla Grange first-up in the autumn before adding the Group Three Doncaster Prelude (1500m) with McEvoy aboard at his only other start of the campaign.

Saturday's race will be Excess Knowledge's first weight-for-age start in Australia but Newnham expects him to run well.

"He's shown he's versatile enough to win at those distances," he said.

"Weight-for-age is a bit of a test because in a handicap he would receive a bit of weight off some of those horses, but it's the right race to start him off in.

"He's down in Melbourne early with the idea of qualifying for the better races."

Excess Knowledge is one of two Waterhouse-trained runners entered for Caulfield, with three-year-old filly Giulietta resuming in the Quezette Stakes.