Horse Racing

An eleven-horse Caulfield Stakes 2011 final field, one of the largest for the race in over a decade, has been accepted for this Saturday’s crucial spring carnival feature, the star-studded list of hopefuls lead by current Melbourne Cup betting favourite Lion Tamer.

Sitting at the top of the 2011 Melbourne Cup odds at Luxbet paying $9.50 to win the world’s richest handicap on the first Tuesday of November, Murray Baker’s spruik Kiwi stayer Lion Tamer will get their chance to further prove their Cup credentials when they line-up in Saturday’s $400,000 Group 1 Caulfield Stakes (2000m).

Lion Tamer will seek back-to-back Group 1 wins when they line-up in the 2011 Caulfield Stakes

Drawn in gate six with Michael Rodd engaged for the ride after the suspension of Hugh Bowman, Storming Home four-year-old Lion Tamer, winner of the Victoria Derby last year, comes off a brilliant victory in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) at the track and stepping up in distance on Saturday looks a top chance to back in the Luxbet markets.

Six horses dropped out of Caulfield Stakes’ contention from nomination stage this year with:

• The Robert Hickmott-trained trio of Base, Green Moon and Midas Touch
• Brian Ellison’s European raider Saptapadi who will race in the $200,000 Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) on the day instead
• Michael Kent’s American import Unusual Suspect
• The fellow Kent-trained AJC Oaks winner Absolutely

While Hickmott opted not to run three from his stables, he will still be represented in the Caulfield Stakes field on Saturday by spring cups’ fancy At First Sight.

The imported Galileo stallion was impressive last-start running a half-length second behind December Draw in the Group 3 Naturalism Stakes over the Caulfield Stakes track and distance.

Due to jump from gate two with Nicholas Hall booked for the ride, At First Sight is currently occupying the second line of 2011 Caulfield Cup betting for Saturday week at a quote of $8.50 behind December Draw ($2.80) at Luxbet.

They are also well-liked in the ante-post Melbourne Cup odds sitting as a $15 chance.

Meanwhile, Mark Kavanagh’s consistent weight-for-age galloper Whobegotyou will look to become a dual Caulfield Stakes winner having taken out the 2009 edition of the race, then known as the Yalumba Stakes.

Six-year-old Street Cry gelding Whobegotyou hasn’t finished out of the top three since their run in the 2011 Stradbroke Handicap nearly 16 months ago and is sure to be heavily backed in the Caulfield Stakes betting markets at Luxbet.

‘Whobe’ will be third-up for the season having won the PB Lawrence Stakes (1400m) first-up at Caulfield in August followed by their last-stat third in the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on September 10.

The last time Whobegotyou saw 2000 meters was in the Caulfield Stakes last year when they ran a game third behind So You Think and Alcopop.

Last year’s runner-up Alcopop also returns to the Caulfield Stakes field in 2011, Jake Stephens’ evergreen seven-year-old coming off a close second to Rekindled Interest in the Dato.

There are two internationally-trained horses adding interest to the Caulfield Stakes field and betting this year with John Moore’s talented Hong Kong runner Mighty High to be ridden by Darren Beadman from gate eight and the Luca Cumani-trained Sahara Sun, the former Chilean racehorse drawn on the rails for their Australian race debut.

Rounding out the 2011 Caulfield Stakes line-up are:

• The Gai Waterhouse-trained Caulfield Cup winner Descarado (barrier 10)
• The Stephen Farley-trained Sincero (barrier 7) out to improve on their eighth place finish as the beaten favourite in last Saturday’s Epsom Handicap (1600m), the two-time Group 1 winner seeing the 2000m for the first time ahead of their 2011 Cox Plate bid
• Avienus (barrier four), Mark Webb’s Cox Plate-bound Reset mare coming off a second to Extra Zero in a 1700m handicap at the track from September 24
• Lights Of Heaven (barrier 11), Peter Moody’s Zabeel mare seeking her first race win since the Group 1 Schweppes Oaks (2008m) at Morphettville back in March

See below for the full 2011 New Zealand Bloodstock Caulfield Stakes field, barriers, jockeys and weights.

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2011 Caulfield Stakes Field, Barriers & Weights