A number of Australian Guineas-bound three-year-olds will face off at Caulfield Racecourse on CF Orr Stakes Day this weekend in the Autumn Stakes 2017 field.
Attention is one of the key 2017 Australian Guineas hopes lining-up in the Autumn Stakes field at Caulfield on Saturday. Photo: Daniel Costello.
Running as Caulfield Race 2 at 1:05pm (AEDT) on the year’s opening Group 1 race day, the $200,000 Group 2 Hyland Race Colours Autumn Stakes (1400m) has this season attracted a diminutive final field of only eight runners.
Despite the small size, the Autumn Stakes field is full of depth and headlined by youngsters heading towards Flemington’s $750,000 Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) over the mile on March 4.
The shortest-priced of the Autumn Stakes acceptors in pre-field Australian Guineas odds at Ladbrokes.com.au looking to further stake his claims with a weekend win is the Ciaron Maher-trained Ruthven ($15).
The gun Domesday colt has won two of his three career starts to date, most recently hanging on in a narrow finish to defeat Morton’s Fork in the Group 2 Sandown Guineas (1600m) back in November.
He is first-up on Saturday in a winnable race fresh, drawn a treat in barrier two with Luke Nolen back aboard.
The other best 2017 Australian Guineas hopeful after a win in the Autumn Stakes is the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Attention ($17).
Far better experienced than Ruthven, the son of Stratum has his ninth career start on CF Orr Stakes Day chasing his third victory.
Attention’s latest victory was at Doomben last May in the Group 2 BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1350m).
He returned to racing this campaign at Rosehill on January 28 and took on the older horses in the Group 2 Expressway Stakes (1200m).
Far from disgraced, Team Snowden’s colt crossed 3.2 lengths away fifth behind the winner Music Magnate and coming back against his own age in the Autumn Stakes is a livewire chance to win.
Lindsay Park’s in-form Snitzel colt Snitzon is also a chance to make the Australian Guineas field next month currently paying $21 in futures betting.
He has a strong record of three wins from five career starts heading into the Autumn Stakes, which will be his first test in Group class, after a 1400m Flemington win on New Year’s Day.
John O’Shea and the Godolphin colours will be on show with Craig Williams booked to ride Peacock from barrier four in the race.
The Lonhro colt won the Listed Gothic Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield in mid-October last spring and returned in the Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley.
Facing a very tough field of seasoned gallopers, Peacock ran fifth behind the Darley Classic winner Malaguerra in the Australia Stakes and is another three-year-old who will appreciate getting back against his own age in the Autumn Stakes 2017.
Robert Smerdon’s promising Commands colt Oak Door lines-up in barrier seven, while the rails run belongs to the Steve Richards-trained son of Hinchinbrook Knowable who has won two of his past three summer starts.
Check out the full Autumn Stakes 2017 field, barriers and jockeys below before heading to Ladbrokes.com.au for the best odds this weekend and on the futures including the Australian Guineas.
2017 Autumn Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw
Caulfield Race 2 (1:05pm) – 11/02/2017
| # | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Br. | Wgt. | H. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2x710210x5 | ATTENTION | Peter & Paul Snowden | TBA | 8 | 58kg | 86 |
| 2 | 7x21x531x5 | PEACOCK | John O’Shea | Craig Williams | 4 | 57kg | 76 |
| 3 | 3×21632114 | OAK DOOR | Robert Smerdon | Damian Lane | 7 | 56kg | 72 |
| 4 | 6×1141 | SNITZSON | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Mark Zahra | 3 | 56kg | 74 |
| 5 | 112x | RUTHVEN | Ciaron Maher | Luke Nolen | 2 | 56kg | 74 |
| 6 | 46×131 | KNOWABLE | Steve Richards | Regan Bayliss | 1 | 56kg | 67 |
| 7 | 137×25 | REDOUBLE | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Dwayne Dunn | 6 | 56kg | 69 |
| 8 | 31 | NONE BETTER | Mitchell Freedman | TBA | 5 | 56kg | 62 |
