One of the Group 2 support acts on Flemington’s Victoria Derby Day card this Saturday is the Wakeful Stakes 2015 for the three-year-old fillies, betting tips for one of the meeting’s early clashes found below.

Ethereal Stakes winner Dawnie Perfect could prove hard to beat again in Saturday’s 2015 Wakeful Stakes on way to the Crown Oaks next week. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

Due to run as Flemington Race 2 at 12:20pm (AEST) on the all black-type race card for the first meeting of the four-day Melbourne Cup Carnival, a final field of 15 is engaged for this year’s $300,000 Group 2 Mumm Wakeful Stakes (2000m).

Current Wakeful Stakes betting markets at Ladbrokes.com.au, who are offering an Extra 50% on your very first Fixed Odds winner in Flemington Races 1 – 5 this Saturday, have the in-form Godolphin raced Ambience as the narrow $4.40 favourite.

The Street Cry filly won a Randwick Listed mile clash over the boys by a big margin two back before her third at Caulfield in the Group 3 Ethereal Stakes (2000m) she’ll be looking to improve on when back of the distance on Saturday with a Melbourne run now under her belt.

She is followed closely in the Wakeful Stakes odds by the Robert Smerdon-trained market mover My Poppette ($6 into $4.60) drawn ideally in barrier two and coming off a win in the Group 2 Moonee Valley Fillies Classic (1600m) from last weekend.

Also at single-figures to take out the traditional Crown Oaks lead-up this weekend are Ethereal Stakes winner Dawnie Perfect ($5.50) in gate four with Jim Cassidy in the saddle and the widely-drawn Muzkya ($8) out in barrier 13 on the back of a 2100m Wyong win by over five lengths.

So will Ambience turn the tables on her last start conqueror and handle the famous Flemington track or is there a Wakeful Stakes upset on the cards from a longer priced hope such as Adelaide raider Beluga Blue ($12) who Hugh Bowman rides from the inside alley?

1^st

#2 Dawnie Perfect ($5.50)

Prepared by triple VRC Oaks winning trainer Clarry Conners, this in-form and improving daughter of Big Brown is on track for the 2500m Group 1 next Thursday and put the writing on the wall with her three-quarter length Ethereal Stakes win over this distance. She handled the metres well and should do so again here even better with Cassidy retaining the ride. She is drawn to win in barrier four and after she pulled away and won running away last weekend, think she’ll enjoy Flemington even more and be hard to beat at a nice price.

2^nd

#10 Muzkya ($8)

While she’s got the wide gate to overcome here and is obviously rising in form, Gerald Ryan’s Danehill Dancer filly did it oh-so-easy over 2100m at Wyong two weeks ago with a massive 5.3 length victory. She broke her maiden status with that victory and is in black-type company this weekend for the first time since April, but she looks ready to handle the pressure now she’s over a distance she’s been craving. She can run the trip, but can she win?

3^rd

#4 Ambience ($4.40)

Ridden by the in-form James McDonald, Ambience is on the drift to secure her third win from her latest four starts and has genuine claims. She went back-to-back in Sydney earlier this time in including her 2.5 length victory over Wudang Mountain in the Listed Dulcify Stakes (1600m). In her maiden Melbourne run she was third in the Ethereal, the form of which is obviously tipped to stack-up here. Barrier three gives her a charmed run and now she’s proven in this direction, she’ll be right in the finish late.

Whether you’re backing or sacking our Wakeful Stakes tips make sure you have access to Best Tote or SP + 20% across Saturday’s Flemington race card tomorrow by signing up with Ladbrokes.com.au now!