Bernie Hewitt's Ripp and Jack Trainor's Iambecauseofyou will go out next to each other in gates four and three respectively for the $100,000 event, with both runners coming in off impressive heat victories.

Another horse taking on the final who also made a great account of themselves in the heats was Steve Turnbull's Saint Veran.

The son of Bettling Line led all the way in the fourth of the chalice heats as a couple of flicks from Amanda Turnbull's whip was all that was needed in the run for home, accounting for the closing Rubini by three metres.

The win took Saint Veran to seven wins from 17 starts and it came in a new personal best winning mile rate of 1:54.9.

He'll be tested out of gate seven for the final, and there's plenty of speed to his inside.

A better draw would have had Turnbull feeling a little more optimistic about his chances.

"The draw is against us a little bit. He loves to lead but I'm not sure he can get across and then hold the run," he said.

"We'll just go forward and try and get ourselves close. He's won most of his races from in front.

"I think it's going to be a lot harder for him in this one. His run was sensational in the last one and he was able to hold it out and then keep on with the job, but being on the outside and not being able to cross them will make things a lot more difficult."

Saint Veran came into the Bathurst Gold Crown Carnival with mixed form to his name.

After a trial he went straight into the NSW Derby heats an finished in sixth place, then had the same finish in Young the following start when he battled in the death seat.

At the end of his previous preparation he'd taken out two wins in a row, the latest of which was the Group 3 Western Region Breeders Challenge Final for two-year-old colts and geldings.

"He's got a little bit better with each run," Turnbull said.

"He went up into the death at Young and he found them a little bit good. He just kept plugging along all the way to the line though.

"Drawing one or two might have got him close again because it would be good to get him up the front without having to work hard."

Turnbull himself comes into the gig on Saint Veran for the final after daughter Amanda drove him in the heats.

Amanda Turnbull will be going off the back row with her runner Iam The Captain, who was the other heat winner from Monday.

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