The headline race at Royal Randwick this weekend in Sydney is the $4 million 2015 Queen Elizabeth Stakes, betting tips for the weight-for-age classic detailed below.

Royal Descent is the Races.com.au’s upset 2015 Queen Elizabeth Stakes tip to win on Saturday in Sydney. Photo: Steve Hart.

Due to jump at 4:35pm (AEST) as Race 9, this year’s Group 1 Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) features a top class field of 13 hopefuls led by the John O’Shea-trained Contributer.

The imported Godolphin stallion may be drawn wide in barrier 13, which has never produced a Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner, but the bookies at Ladbrokes.com.au are taking zero chances with the in-form High Chaparral five-year-old.

He leads the latest Queen Elizabeth Stakes odds at $3.80 but is on the drift after opening as short as $3.50.

The barrier is the only concern however with jockey James McDonald staying on after guiding the star to three straight wins this autumn including the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) – Group 1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) double.

Four other Queen Elizabeth Stakes hopes are under $10 for the win this year with: Japan’s last start The BMW runner-up To The World ($4.20), internationally performed Criterion ($7.50) coming off a George Ryder Stakes second, the other Japanese raider in the field Tosen Stardom ($7.50) who was also second in a Group 1 last time out in the Ranvet Stakes and Chris Waller’s returning Cox Plate winner Adelaide ($8).

So are the top fancies the ones to lock into your Queen Elizabeth Stakes bets or is there value to be found further down the markets from the likes of Waller’s former Oaks winner Royal Descent ($17), fellow class mare Lucia Valentina ($15) or even the market mover Spillway ($21) who won the Australian Cup at Flemington last time out?

1^st

#12 Royal Descent ($17)

She’s at pretty rough odds and faces some pretty stiff competition but if the rain continues in Sydney get right behind this smart Waller-trained mare. The last mare to win was More Joyous (2012) and she was the only one to do it since way back in 1987. Despite the poor record of the female gallopers, really thing Royal Descent is ready to shrug off her placegetter status and score another Group 1 to make her a triple elite level winner. Waller has won two of the past four Queen Elizabeth Stakes, she’s got a good Randwick record (12-2-6-2) and will love the give out of the ground.

2^nd

#10 To The World ($4.20)

While Contributer is in flying form and shouts class, his wide barrier 13 draw rules him out for us. To The World was right behind the fellow O’Shea-trained Hartnell meanwhile first-up in Australia in The BMW, which produced last year’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner It’s A Dundeel (2^nd), and will be improving. This King Kamehameha four-year-old was also second to superstar Gentildonna in the Group 1 Arima Kinen (2500M) in Japan in December and while he’s down in distance here, has an 82% place rate that cannot be ignored.

3^rd

#9 Adelaide ($8)

This is the shortest-priced of the Waller-trained trio and even though some are skeptical about how he’ll handle the mud, if the track is in the Soft range this European import’s record show’s he’ll handle that (3-2-1-0). Has had just the one run in Australia when winning the Cox Plate (2040m) in Melbourne so needs to handle the Sydney way of racing. He’s got a solid first-up record however (2-1-1-0), is prepared by the right trainer for a Queen Elizabeth win, has the second highest Win Rate (50%) of the field and is yet to finish out of the money in his eight-start career to date.

Whether you’re backing or sacking our Queen Elizabeth Stakes 2015 tips make sure you give yourself every chance of enjoying more bang for your buck by betting online at Ladbrokes.com.au who are offering Best Tote or SP + 20% on all four Group 1s in Sydney on Saturday!