The Underwood Stakes 2016 features a field of talented stayers facing off at Caulfield Racecourse on Saturday in Melbourne, a detailed form guide analysis and betting preview for the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes Day feature found below.

Lucia Valentina is the only mare in the 2016 Underwood Stakes field looking to break a 31-year drought for female gallopers in the Caulfield feature. Photo: Steve Hart.

Set to run as Caulfield Race 8 at 4:55pm (AEST) on the nine-race program, this year’s $500,000 Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) field is down to 10 starters after the scratching of the Lee & Anthony Freedman-trained Our Ivanhowe due to injury.

Heading the updated Underwood Stakes betting markets at Ladbrokes.com.au at $2.40 and shortening by the hour is the Darren Weir-trained Black Heart Bart, the former Perth galloper chasing his third elite level win.

His longest-distance victory to date is only over 1420m but neither Weir nor the bookies are worried the Blackfriars six-year-old will have trouble extending his winning form out to the 1800m in the Underwood this weekend.

The other best fancied in the latest Underwood Stakes odds are the Kris Lees-trained Queen Elizabeth Stakes winning mare Lucia Valentina ($3.80) and Leon & Troy Corstens’ Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes winner Awesome Rock ($6.50).

That’s the story the markets are telling but what about the Underwood Stakes form, betting history and statistics?

2016 Underwood Stakes Form Facts & Betting Stats

• Last year’s Underwood Stakes winner was the Peter Gelagotis-trained Mourinho (2015) who came off a sixth in the Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes and jumped from barrier 4 (of 12) with Vlad Duric in the saddle of the $16 chance
• Peter Gelagotis returns on Saturday chasing back-to-back wins by a trainer for the first time since Fred Kersley with the mighty Northerly (2001-02) with #4 The Cleaner ($17)

• Along with Peter Gelagotis (1-1-0-0) the only other previous Underwood Stakes winning trainer with a runner on Saturday is Mick Price (7-1-1-0) with #8 Tarzino ($12)
• The previous Underwood Stakes winning jockeys with a ride on the weekend are: Brad Rawiller (5-1-1-1) on #2 Black Heart Bart, Steven Arnold (9-1-2-0) on #4 The Cleaner and Damien Oliver (19-1-5-3) on #11 Lucia Valentina
• Last year’s winning barrier (4) has produced a total of four Underwood Stakes winners (since 1983) and belongs this year to #10 Howard Be Thy Name (5 into 4) after the scratching of Our Ivanhowe (3)
• The most successful Underwood Stakes barrier in that time with 5 winners is gate 7; this year barrier 7 was drawn by #2 Black Heart Bart but now belongs to his Melbourne Cup winning stablemate #1 Prince Of Penzance (8)
• The past two Underwood Stakes winners backed directly up off a Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes run with Foreteller (3^rd in 2014) and Mourinho (6^th in 2015)
• The Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes graduates in the race this weekend are: Awesome Rock (1^st), The Cleaner (5^th), Jacquinot Bay (8^th) and Tavago (11^th)
• Three of the past four Underwood Stakes winners came off a last-start win; #6 Awesome Rock ($6.50) is the only last start winner in the mix this year
• Four-year-olds have won five of the past seven editions of the race; the 4YOs in the mix this year looking to continue the trend are: #8 Tarzino, #9 Tavago and #10 Howard Be Thy Name

• No mare has won the race since Tristarc (1985); #11 Lucia Valentina is the only mare taking on the boys in the Underwood in 2016
• Just three Underwood Stakes favourites have won in the past decade; this year’s favourite is #2 Black Heart Bart
• The highest Win Rate of the field belongs to #7 He Or She (43%) followed by #2 Black Heart Bart (39%) and #9 Tavago (38%)
• The best Place Rate belongs to #10 Howard Be Thy Name (86%) followed by #2 Black Heart Bart (76%)
• The horses with the best form over the distance (1800m) are: #4 The Cleaner (2-1-0-1), #6 Awesome Rock (2-1-0-0) and #10 Howard Be Thy Name (1-1-0-0)
• At the track (Caulfield) the horses with winning form are: #2 Black Heart Bart (2-2-0-0), #1 Prince Of Penzance (7-1-1-0), #7 He Or She (6-1-1-0) and #8 Tarzino (4-1-0-0)
• #5 Jacquinot Bay ($26) is yet to win at Caulfield but from nine starts has run second four times

Stay tuned for our insider Underwood Stakes 2016 tips to be published shortly.

In the meantime check out the race’s full form below provided by the country’s premier sportsbook Ladbrokes.com.au.

2016 Underwood Stakes Form Guide