The well-fancied Australian Cup-bound duo of Hartnell and Gailo Chop head the Peter Young Stakes 2018 field and betting markets for the traditional lead-up race running at Caulfield Racecourse this weekend in Melbourne.
Australian Cup favourite Gailo Chop races second-up in the 2018 Peter Young Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
The card closer on Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes Day this Saturday, the Group 2 $200,000 Carlton Draught Peter Young Stakes (1800m) is set to jump as Caulfield Race 9 at 5:25pm (AEDT).
A key lead-up to the Group 1 $1.5 million Australian Cup (2000m) run at Flemington on Super Saturday, March 10, the Peter Young Stakes field attracted only 10 hopefuls this autumn.
Sitting top of the starting line-up and the early Peter Young Stakes odds online at Ladbrokes.com.au are the James Cummings-trained Hartnell and Darren Weir’s smart French import Gailo Chop.
Drawn in gate five with Craig Williams retaining the ride is the narrow $3.50 favourite for Saturday and $6.50 second elect in futures Australian Cup betting, Authorized seven-year-old Hartnell.
Hartnell was impressive first-up at the track a fortnight back kicking things off with a narrow win in the Group 1 Ladbrokes C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) and he should be even better suited to 1800m second-up this weekend.
His last run over the track / distance produced a second to Bonneval in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) last October, a race Gailo Chop finished third in.
Gailo Chop also won his first-up autumn assignment at Caulfield on February 10, the fellow seven-year-old having taken out the Group 3 TS Carlyon Cup (1600m) over the mile.
He chases his first victory since the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes (2000m) in the spring when beating home subsequent Melbourne Cup runner-up Johannes Vermeer.
Fitter for his lead-up win, Gailo Chop boasts a strong record of four wins from seven second-up assignments and is hot on Hartnell’s heels in the Peter Young Stakes odds at $3.60.
He is shorter in pre-field Australian Cup odds however installed as the $4.50 favourite, a position he can retain with a big run this weekend.
The $7 third favourite for next month’s Group 1 is the Lloyd Williams-owned The Taj Mahal who is also accepted for the Peter Young Stakes where Ben Melham rides the import from the outside barrier (10 of 10).
A well-performed Galileo entire, four-year-old The Taj Mahal races for the first time since the impressive three and a half-length romp home over 2016 Melbourne Cup winner Almandin in the Group 2 Sandown Classic (2400m) last November.
He is the early Peter Young Stakes market mover already firming in from $5 to $4.80 to salute fresh over 1800m.
Rounding out the single-figure fancies is the constantly impressive Nick Olive-trained Group 1 winning mare Single Gaze ($8.50).
She had zero luck when caught-up for a run in the CF Orr Stakes, but last spring’s Caulfield Cup second placed daughter of Not A Single Doubt came with a huge late run to come within a nostril flare of Hartnell.
See below for the full Peter Young Stakes 2018 field, barriers and betting markets at Ladbrokes.com.au before backing your favourites for this weekend.
