It shapes up as an open edition of the 2017 Challenge Stakes at Randwick Racecourse on Saturday with the mare English facing some tough first-up opposition in the wet including the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Redzel.

Racing in Sydney could yet be called off for Randwick Guineas Day due to the wet weather and Heavy track conditions, but as it stands the card will be run including the $500,000 Group 2 Challenge Stakes (1000m) as Race 6.

A field of ten sprinters are in the mix for the weight-for-age feature including early favourite in Challenge Stakes betting at Ladbrokes.com.au, the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained English.

Drawn the rails on Saturday with jockey Blake Shinn to ride, the now four-year-old daughter of Encosta De Lago defends her title after winning last season’s Challenge Stakes first-up.

She kicks off her autumn again on the weekend ahead of another big campaign and is undefeated over the 1000m distance to date (2-2-0-0).

English trialled twice at Warwick Farm in February winning both her hit outs, but there is a query over her wet-track form ahead of the weekend.

Set to strike if the favourite doesn’t get through the going is the $4.40 second elect in Challenge Stakes betting, the Team Snowden-trained market mover Redzel.

Kerrin McEvoy rides the returning Snitzel four-year-old from the outside alley on the weekend and has options during the run from the barrier.

Redzel has winning form on Heavy going having won the July Sprint (1100m) at Canterbury in the conditions last winter and trialled well behind English on February 20 ahead of a rematch under race conditions.

Also at single-figures in Challenge Stakes betting this Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival are Heatherly ($5) and Ball Of Muscle ($7.50).

Victorian raider Heatherly is a four-year-old daughter of Lonhro who is out to improve on her first-up sixth behind Terravista at Flemington on February 18 in the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m).

That run was better than the placing suggests as she was beaten only two lengths down the straight and she is down in class this weekend.

The Challenge Stakes is her first Sydney assignment and Heatherly worked well this week the right-handed way as she prepares for a second-up run over her pet distance (9-3-3-2).

Ball Of Muscle meanwhile jumps from barrier three with Tommy Berry booked to ride the consistent Joe Pride-trained galloper whose lead-up run was a third in the Expressway Stakes on January 28.

Winner of that Music Magnate takes on Chautauqua in the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) on Saturday, while Ball Of Muscle drops back in distance for a shot at the Challenge Stakes title.

He hasn’t raced on a Heavy track, but is well-performed on Soft going (6-2-2-2) so presents as a definite danger.

See below for the latest Challenge Stakes 2017 betting odds open now at Ladbrokes.com.au – home of Odds Boost (T&Cs apply).

2017 Challenge Stakes Odds