Joe Pride’s returning Group 2 winner Rock Sturdy will wear the No. 1 saddlecloth first-up at Randwick Racecourse leading out a quality field of sprinters in Saturday’s Hall Mark Stakes 2015.

A key support race on the All Aged Stakes Day program on the weekend, this year’s $150,000 Group 3 Ticketek Hall Mark Stakes (1200m) is due to run as Randwick Race 7 at 4:25pm (AEST).

Thirteen final acceptors make up the field for the set weights plus penalties clash including Fastnet Rock four-year-old Rock Sturdy, the stallion having his first start since winning the Group 2 Shannon Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill in late September last year.

A progressive type and known wet-track performer, Rock Sturdy comes off two good Warwick Farm trials and will be ridden by Hugh Bowman from gate nine this weekend shooting for his first win when resuming.

He has had two previous first-up runs finishing second in but will have to be the ball on Saturday carrying 59kg, equal with the also resuming Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Charlie Boy.

This year’s Hall Mark Stakes marks the return for a whole host of top types including the Rodney Northam-trained Big Money and Team Hawkes’ Our Boy Malachi who are drawn wide in barriers 10 and 11 respectively.

Choisir five-year-old Big Money won back-to-back black types at Doomben back in December including the Group 3 George Moore Stakes (1200m) and kicks off another campaign targeting the Brisbane riches this season.

He won a trial in NSW on March 29 and heads towards the $2 million Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Doomben on June 6.

Also 2015 Stradbroke Handicap bound this upcoming Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival, Our Boy Malachi also looks an imposing force in the Hall Mark on Saturday with Tommy Berry to ride.

The Top Echelon six-year-old has won his latest six starts, the latest of which was the Listed Razor Sharp Handicap (1200m) at Randwick on December 13, and like Big Money won his lead-up trial in late March ahead of the Hall Mark return.

Other last start winners either first-up or second-up on Saturday are then the John O’Shea-trained Vashka in gate two for James McDonald who won five straight in Sydney over the spring – summer season before a freshen-up and Pride’s other runner Craftiness in gate three.

Starcraft four-year-old Craftiness has won six of his seven career starts and ran second in his only loss so far, the progressive gelding up in class for a maiden black type run this weekend.

Pride has a total of four final acceptors in the Hall Mark Stakes field this year with Rock Sturdy and Craftiness joined by Rain Affair (barrier six) and Target In Sight (barrier 12).

Commands seven-year-old Rain Affair comes off a brave fifth to star sprinter Chautauqua in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) at the track from April 6 and is out to break a winning drought going back to the Group 2 Expressway Stakes (1200m) in February last year.

Nadeem gelding Target In Sight may have the wide draw but the form is there with the five-year-old winning the Group 3 Maurice McCarten Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill in mid-March before a second to Generalife last start in the Group 3 St Kingdom Stakes (1200m).

The table below features the full Hall Mark Stakes 2015 field, barriers and jockeys.

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2015 Hall Mark Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw

Randwick Race 7 (4:25pm) – 18/04/2015

#	Form (Last 10)	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Hcp. Rating
1	23x211421x	ROCK STURDY	Joseph Pride	Hugh Bowman	9	59kg	101
2	147x02346x	CHARLIE BOY	Peter & Paul Snowden	Tye Angland	4	59kg	96
3	1211x4911x	BIG MONEY	Rodney Northam	Robert Thompson	10	58.5kg	105
4	14131×3346	FAST ’N’ ROCKING	David Hayes & Tom Dabernig	Kerrin McEvoy	7	58.5kg	102
5	6630x157x0	DECISION TIME	Clarry Conners	Brenton Avdulla	1	58kg	104
6	x783104615	HEART TESTA	Chris Waller	Damien Oliver	8	58kg	102
7	x090x3x745	RAIN AFFAIR	Joseph Pride	Steven Arnold	6	58kg	102
8	52x1714x12	TARGET IN SIGHT	Joseph Pride	Joshua Parr	12	58kg	102
9	463341737x	WOULDNT IT BE NICE	Paul Perry	Sam Clipperton	13	58kg	95
10	x1511x111x	OUR BOY MALACHI	Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes	Tommy Berry	11	57.5kg	105
11	928x44067x	HIDDEN WARRIOR	Gordon Yorke	Jim Cassidy	5	56kg	92
12	66x211111x	VASHKA	John O’Shea	James McDonald	2	56kg	92
13	11x2111x1	CRAFTINESS	Joseph Pride	Blake Shinn	3	56kg	87