Horse Racing

Anthony Cummings’ Caulfield Guineas favourite Smart Missile has suffered an early blow in their bid to break their Group 1 duck with a win the 2011 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield this Saturday, the exciting three-year-old drawing the far outside barrier.

Smart Missile has drawn the far outside barrier in the 17-horse Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes 2011 field

The $350,000 Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) attracted a final field of 17 acceptors today, last-start Golden Rose runner-up Smart Missile to make their debut Melbourne and open-age debut from the extreme outside gate 17.

With bucket-loads of potential and class, a blistering turn of foot, Glen Boss in the mount and meeting his older rivals better in the weights with just 53kg Smart Missile is still likely to open the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes favourite at Luxbet.

On the flipside, however, Smart Missile has never jumped from a barrier worse than seven making their test on Saturday a genuine one.

Topweight of the 2011 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes field is the Peter Snowden-trained Pinwheel on 58kg, the in-form Lonhro six-year-old and recent Warwick Stakes winner to jump from gate eight with Kerrin McEvoy aboard.

The next heaviest-weighted hopeful is Rob Heathcote’s Queensland raider Woorim on 57.5kg.

Show A Heart gelding Woorim has drawn ideally in barrier five with Brisbane-based hoop Damien Browne engaged for the ride, and comes off a last-start victory over 1200 metres at Moonee Valley on September 10.

Other drawcard contenders in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes 2011 field include:

• Toorak Toff (Rick Hore-Lacy) Barrier 7: Last year’s Golden Rose winner racing second-up as a four-year-old after running an eye-catching fifth, beaten a mere length, by Lone Rock in the Group 3 Bobbie Lewis Qlty (1200m) at Flemington on September 3. Heading towards the 2011 Cox Plate and has a nice record at the track and distance having run a close second to the since-retired Anacheeva in the Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) on Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes Day 12 months ago.

• Yosei (Stuart Webb) – Barrier 2: Triple Group 1 winning daughter of Invincible Spirit, the four-year-old was disappointing first-up in the Bobbie Lewis when running 15^th but should be better suited to the 1400 metres having won the Group 1 Tattersall’s Tiara on June 25 at Eagle Farm over the distance. Caulfield also holds no fears as she took out last year’s Thousand Guineas on the track, but open company is a query.

• Silver Grecian (John Moore) – Barrier 4: Hong Kong raider making their Australian race debut, heading towards the Emirates Stakes during the Melbourne Cup Carnival and connections are confident in their chances on Saturday, but their record is questionable as is how they will handle the turf here.

• Master Of Design (David Payne) – Barrier 10: Redoute’s Choice six-year-old won the Group 2 Sebring Sprint (1300m) at Rosehill on September 10 in a thriller but hasn’t seen the 1400 metres, Caulfield or Group 1 company so is a question mark. Has top hoop Damien Oliver in the mount, Oliver seeking his seventh Sir Rupert Stakes win, his first since Orange County in 2008.

Below is the complete Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes field, barriers, jockeys and weights.

Stay tuned to Races.com.au over the next few days for the latest Caulfield race and betting updates, including the Sir Rupert Clarke odds and tips.

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2011 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes Final Field & Barriers