Recent history tells Gai Waterhouse the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes is the right race for The Offer to begin his Melbourne Cup campaign.

The trainer won the Group Two weight-for-age race with Fiorente last year while the Lloyd Williams-owned Green Moon was narrowly beaten the year before, with both going on to win the Melbourne Cup.

The Offer, who is the early favourite for this year's Cup, makes his spring return in Saturday's 1600m feature at Moonee Valley.

"Gai is a great believer in following patterns that work," jockey Tommy Berry said.

The Offer makes his first race appearance in Victoria since winning last year's Ballarat Cup.

For Berry it will be the start of a Melbourne spring campaign in which he hopes to make a significant impact.

The rider admits The Offer is a different type of horse from his former stablemate Fiorente who finished powerfully to win last year's Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes.

"Fiorente could sprint and was a good miler and a good stayer - a bit of an all-rounder," Berry said.

"This bloke is an out-and-out stayer."

Berry is excited about the spring prospects of The Offer and while he would be surprised if he sprinted to victory first-up, he won't put it past him.

"He's never really performed much under the 2000-metre mark," Berry said.

"He's a little bit fresher going into this campaign which will probably suit him because it's a fair way until the Melbourne Cup anyway.

"He'll get back in the race, I'm sure, and it will be good to see him hopefully running home."

Waterhouse said The Offer and Fiorente share at least one thing in common.

"They have an amazing will to win," Waterhouse said.

The Offer is also joint-favourite for the Caulfield Cup alongside La Amistad.

Berry's Moonee Valley rides also includes three-year-old Orujo in the McEwen Stakes against the world's highest-ranked sprinter Lankan Rupee.

Berry believes the effort to get down to ride Orujo at 52kg will be worth it, regardless of whether he upsets the raging favourite on Saturday.

"It's an opportunity I didn't want to let go," Berry said.

"Obviously riding for Godolphin is great. They've got a few jockeys there at the moment so I've just got to keep sticking my head in there and doing little things like getting down to 52 (kilos). I'm sure they appreciate that.

"It just creates more options later on in the spring if they have got a few runners in the one race."