This Sunday at Flemington’s rescheduled Melbourne Cup Preview Day, a star studded line-up of the spring’s hottest contenders will take to the track in the $500,000 Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m).

The 2010 Turnbull Stakes has drawn a capacity field of 16 horses plus four emergencies including last year’s Melbourne Cup winner Shocking.

Shocking, a Mark Kavanagh-trained Street Cry five-year-old, will be out to maintain his unbeaten record at Flemington and improve from his last start fifth to So You Think in the Underwood Stakes at Caulfield.

Shocking will be ridden by champion hoop Michael Rodd but has suffered a blow drawing out wide in barrier 14.

Equal favourite to win the 2010 Melbourne Cup following an eye-catching second in the Underwood Stakes, Bart Cummings’ Queensland Derby winning mare Dariana is another topliner in Sunday’s Turnbull Stakes.

Dariana has also drawn poorly with barrier 19 and will have Steven Arnold aboard.

Faint Perfume is the other classy contender for Cummings in the Turnbull Stakes, the four-year-old Shamardal mare looking to return to form after two less-than-impressive spring starts having drawn better in barrier five.

Coming up trumps in the Turnbull Stakes barriers was the Michael Moroney-trained Monaco Consul, the winner of last year’s Victoria Derby due to jump from the coveted gate one.

One horse not to be underestimated on Sunday is the John Wallace-trained Shoot Out drawn ideally in barrier two.

High Chaparral gelding Shoot Out has had two unlucky spring starts this season finishing third in both the Memsie Stakes at Caulfield and the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes at Moonee Valley but is tipped to improve in the Turnbull with the step up to 2000m and the extra space provided on the Flemington track.

Other notable Turnbull Stakes runners include Horse of the Year Typhoon Tracy (barrier 10), and John O’shea’s duo Jessicabeel (barrier 20) and Zabrasive (barrier 12), Rosehill Guineas winner Zabrasive racing with blinkers on to help improve the Zabeel gelding’s form.

The Turnbull Stakes is one of four great Group races at Flemington this Sunday with other highlights including the Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m) for three-year-old fillies, the Group 2 Gilgai Stakes (1200m) and the Group 2 Blazer Stakes (1400m) for mares.

Australia’s favourite online bookie [sportsbet] will open their Turnbull Stakes betting shortly so sign up with them to get the best odds available!

Note: C’est La Guerre has been scratched from the 2010 Turnbull Stakes and will run in the Group 3 Craven Plate at Randwick on Saturday instead.

2010 Turnbull Stakes Final Field, Barrier Draw & Weights

#	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Br.	Weight (kg)	Hcp. Rating
1	SHOCKING	Mark Kavanagh	Michael Rodd	14	59	117
2	ZIPPING	Robert Hickmott	Nicholas Hall	6	59	116
3	ZAVITE (NZ)	Anthony Cummings	Ben Melham	9	59	111
4	METAL BENDER (NZ)	Chris Waller	Hugh Bowman	15	59	116
5	SHOOT OUT	John Wallace	Stathi Katsidis	2	58	115
6	MONACO CONSUL (NZ)	Michael Moroney	Craig Williams	1	58	108
7	VIGOR (NZ)	Danny O’Brien	James Winks	13	57.5	111
8	SPEED GIFTED (GB)	Lee Freedman	Danny Nikolic	3	57.5	107
9	TYPHOON TRACY	Peter G Moody	Luke Nolen	10	57	117
10	ZABRASIVE (NZ)	John O’Shea	Craig Newitt	12	56.5	107
11	STERLING PRINCE (NZ)	Wayne Hillis	Steven King	4	56.5	102
12	FAINT PERFUME	Bart Cummings	Glen Boss	5	56	108
13	JESSICABEEL (NZ)	John O’Shea	Mark Zahra	20	55.5	108
14	BUCCELLATI (GB)	Tony Noonan	Blake Shinn	8	55.5	108
15	DARIANA	Bart Cummings	Steven Arnold	19	54.5	109
16	DESCARADO (NZ)	Gai Waterhouse	Dwayne Dunn	17	54.5	111
17e	RAFFAELLO	Jim Marconi	–	11	55	104
18e	MOUDRE	Ciaron Maher	–	7	55	101
19e SCRATCHED	C’EST LA GUERRE (NZ)	Robert Hickmott	–	18	54.5	108
20e	VALDEMORO	Tony Vasil	Jason Maskiell (a)	16	51.5	102