The staying showdown on the Epsom Handicap Day card in Sydney on Saturday is The Metropolitan 2016, a full form guide analysis and betting preview for the Royal Randwick handicap detailed below.

Magic Hurricane defends his title in the 2016 The Metropolitan Handicap in Sydney on Saturday. Photo: Steve Hart.

A field of 13 hopefuls is set to face off in this year’s $750,000 Group 1 The Metropolitan Handicap (2400m), the mile and a half classic due to run as Randwick Race 8 at 4:40pm (AEST) as the penultimate event on the program.

Leading the latest The Metropolitan odds at Ladbrokes.com.au at $5.50 are co-favourites Sir John Hawkwood and Antonio Giuseppe out to go back-to-back for the favourite backers after the success of Magic Hurricane (2015) last Sydney Spring Racing Carnival.

Sydney’s leading horseman Chris Waller chases a third The Metropolitan win with six acceptors in 2016 led by his in-form Kiwi expat Antonio Giuseppe who has won his past four starts on the trot.

Sir John Hawkwood is the better experience of the top two chances in this season’s The Metropolitan betting markets, the veteran John Thompson-trained eight-year-old second-up after a second in the Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) three weeks ago.

In an open market Waller also has the $6.50 second favourite Sacred Master, while last Saturday’s Group 3 Colin Stephen Quality winner over the distance at Rosehill Allergic ($7) and Waller’s 57kg top weight Who Shot Thebarman ($8.50) are also rated livewire chances.

Don’t just go by the order of the odds when placing your The Metropolitan bets, use the below form guide and betting history on the race.

2016 The Metropolitan Form Facts & Betting Stats

• Last year’s The Metropolitan winner was the John O’Shea-trained Magic Hurricane (2015) who came off a Group 2 Hill Stakes second, started the $2 favourite and jumped form barrier one (of 13) with James McDonald on the saddle with 55.5kg
• John O’Shea chases back-to-back wins this season with the reigning champion #4 Magic Hurricane ($9.50) and #8 Allergic ($7)
• #4 Magic Hurricane is looking to be the first successive The Metropolitan winner since Hayai (1983-84)

• Along with John O’Shea (1-1-0-0) the other previous The Metropolitan winning trainers with a starter on Saturday are: Chris Waller (25-2-3-0) with #1 Who Shot Thebarman, #2 Storm The Stars, #3 Grand Marshal, #6 Junoob, #7 Sacred Master and #12 Antonio Giuseppe; Kris Lees (4-1-0-0) with #9 Sense Of Occasion; Paul Perry (8-1-0-1) with #13 Quartermaster; and the race’s most successful trainer Gai Waterhouse (38-8-4-3) who saddles up #11 Dee I Cee ($16) in partnership with Adrian Bott

• Last year’s winning hoop James McDonald is back in 2016 aboard the reigning champ #4 Magic Hurricane
• Along with James McDonald (2-1-0-0) the other previous The Metropolitan winning jockeys with a ride on Saturday are: Corey Brown (12-2-1-0) on #9 Sense Of Occasion; Glen Boss (10-2-1-1) on #12 Antonio Giuseppe; Hugh Bowman (5-1-0-0) on #1 Who Shot Thebarman; Craig Newitt (3-1-0-0) on #6 Junoob; and Tommy Berry (3-1-1-0) on #7 Sacred Master
• Magic Hurricane (2^nd in 2015) came off a Hill Stakes run to win last year’s race; the Hill Stakes graduates in the mix this year are Who Shot Thebarman (2^nd), Storm The Stars (3^rd), Magic Hurricane (4^th) and Grand Marshal (6^th)
• Looking back over the past 30 years the best lead-up guide for The Metropolitan is the Colin Stephen Quality with the last winner to back-up off that race being Herculian Prince (5^th in 2010); the Colin Stephen Quality graduates on the quick back-up this year are: Allergic (1^st) and Junoob (2^nd)
• #8 Allergic is after the Colin Stephen Quality – The Metropolitan double last achieved by Railings (2005)
• Favourites have won three times in the past decade; this year’s top fancies are #5 Sir John Hawkwood and #12 Antonio Giuseppe
• Last year’s winning barrier (1) has produced a total of two The Metropolitan winners (since 1983) and belongs this year to #3 Grand Marshal ($26)
• The most successful The Metropolitan barrier in that time with six winners is barrier four that belongs on Saturday to #2 Storm The Stars ($14)
• Six-year-olds have won the past three editions of the race on the trot and five times in the past decade; the 6YOs in the mix are #9 Sense Of Occasion ($21), #10 Amexed ($71) and #13 Quartermaster ($201)
• Five-year-olds have won four times in the past 10 years; the 5YOs in the mix this year are #2 Storm The Stars, #7 Sacred Master, #8 Allergic and #11 Dee I Cee
• The last The Metropolitan winning mare was Coco Cobanna (2000) 16 years ago; there are no mares out to break the hoodoo this year
• No horse has carried more than 56.5kg to victory since Hayai (57.5kg in 1984), which rules out #1 Who Shot Thebarman (57kg)

• The best Win Rate of the field belongs to #12 Antonio Giuseppe (63%) followed by #7 Sacred Master (41%)
• The highest Place Rate of the field belongs to #2 Storm The Stars (69%) followed by #11 Dee I Cee (63%), #7 Sacred Master (65%), #8 Allergic (63%) and #12 Antonio Giuseppe (63%)
• The horses with the best record over the distance (2400m) are: #1 Who Shot Thebarman (6-2-1-0), #4 Magic Hurricane (3-2-0-1), #5 Sir John Hawkwood (6-2-2-0), #6 Junoob (12-2-4-2), #2 Storm The Stars (5-1-1-2), #3 Grand Marshal (5-1-1-1), #9 Sense Of Occasion (2-1-1-0) and #7 Sacred Master (1-1-0-0), #8 Allergic (1-1-0-0)
• The horses with the best winning record at the track (Randwick) are: #4 Magic Hurricane (7-2-1-0) and #6 Junoob (13-2-4-0)

Stay tuned for the insider The Metropolitan 2016 betting tips to be published shortly.

In the meantime look over the full ATC Metropolitan Handicap form guide provided by Ladbrokes.com.au.

2016 The Metropolitan Form Guide