The 2017 Bow Mistress Trophy is the sole Group race on the Hobart race card this evening and below are our insider summer racing tips on the mares’ only showdown.

The weight-for-age $125,000 Group 3 Magic Millions Bow Mistress (1200m) is due to jump as Hobart Race 7 at 6:05pm (AEDT) this evening and eight mares are engaged to line-up.

Bow Mistress Trophy betting at Ladbrokes.com.au have two battling it out for favouritism with I Love It ($2.60) and Ocean Embers ($2.70) tipped as the ones to beat.

Stephen Baster rides John Salanitri’s Artie Schiller six-year-old I Love It who races in the Bow Mistress Trophy field for the third straight year.

She won the event by nearly four lengths in 2015 before a devastatingly close second to Nautical last year.

I Love It is first-up on the weekend racing for the first time since her brave seventh only two lengths off Sheidel in a Group 3 at Flemington on Derby Day as a $71 roughie and is after her first win since the Group 3 Vamos Stakes (1400m) at Launceston in Tassie last February.

Fellow Victorian raider Ocean Embers is a four-year-old daughter of Beneteau who is nowhere near as credentialed as I Love It.

Her latest victory was in August last year taking out the Group 3 Cockram Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield and her lead-up into her first trip to Tasmania was an eighth in a stakes race at Eagle Farm on New Year’s Eve.

One time favourite Lyuba meanwhile has eased out notably in the Bow Mistress Trophy odds and is now at $3.40 occupying the third line of betting.

Darren Weir’s progressive Turffontein four-year-old still looks very hard to leave out of the Bow Mistress Trophy placings however having run first or second in her four latest starts.

So will the top three in the markets be the first three over the line or is there value tipping an upset Bow Mistress Trophy result from the likes of the flying local hope Trot On Candy ($10) or her rails-drawn stablemate Snippetee Bee ($21) who is a genuine Hobart track specialist?

1^st

#1 I Love It ($2.60)

Hard to go past this Bow Mistress veteran who won the race two years back and was narrowly nudged out of back-to-back victories last summer. She loves it in Tasmania and always performs at her peak in the Apple Isle. Drawn a treat in gate two for her resuming run and has plenty of nice first-up form (8-3-1-1). Two spring runs were better than they looked on paper, especially the Begonia Belle seventh when only 2.15 lengths off the winner who franked the form with a Winterbottom Stakes second a couple of runs later.

2^nd

#7 Trot On Candy ($10)

Money is starting to really come in for the Bow Mistress Trophy to stay in Tassie via a win by this Charlie Goggin & Luella Meaburn-trained Trotamondo four-year-old. She comes off back-to-back Hobart wins over 1100m in January, the latest by 2.5 lengths on January 22. Rock hard fit, obviously loves the track (9-4-0-1) and getting out to 1200m for the first time this campaign will be hard to hold out with her record at the distance strong (8-3-2-0). Drawn to get the run of the race from barrier three with Troy Baker aboard.

3^rd

#3 Lyuba ($3.50)

Weir’s super-consistent mare has eased in the markets, but she’s running two well back in Melbourne to leave out here. Latest run on January 7 at Caulfield saw her beaten under a length for second over 1100m. Has been over 1200m once for one win and has winning form up to 1300m so the distance is a non-issue. Lightly-raced with a smart winning strike rate (9-5-3-0), well weighted in this and after the little freshen-up gives jockey Brad Rawiller a genuine chance in the Group 3.

Whether you’re backing or sacking our Bow Mistress Trophy 2017 tips this afternoon ensure you’ve got access to the best racing odds and offers online at Ladbrokes.com.au.