Two sprinters are currently battling for top spot in the 2017 Moreton Cup odds for Doomben on Saturday with the consistent Deploy narrow favourite over Toby Edmonds’ last start winner at the track The Virginian.

Deploy is narrow favourite in 2017 Moreton Cup odds for the Doomben sprint this weekend on Queensland Oaks Day. Photo: Steve Hart.

Set to run as Doomben Race 6 at 3:20pm (AEST) on the Queensland Oaks Day program moved from Eagle Farm, this year’s $175,000 Group 2 Ascot Green Moreton Cup takes place over 1200m instead of the traditional 1300m making it a genuine sprint affair.

Looking at the latest Moreton Cup betting markets at Ladbrokes.com.au, the bookies are tipping that to best suit Deploy ($5) who comes into barrier 10 after the early scratching of Elegant Composure (11) and Bonny O’Reilly (14).

Tim Clark rides the always competitive Gerald Ryan-trained Fastnet Rock gelding who has finished out of the money just once in his 12 career starts to date.

His record over 1200m is excellent with two wins and a third from four starts at the distance and he was last seen crossing a very close second in the Listed Ortensia Stakes (1100m) at Scone on May 13.

Deploy is well weighted getting in on the 53kg minimum for this rise in class and will be fitter second-up, only needing to handle the awkward gate to salute.

The big danger looking at the Moreton Cup odds online is the better drawn The Virginian ($5.50) jumping from gate three with Jim Byrne aboard.

Weir’s Hinchinbrook four-year-old is also second-up on Saturday coming off a quality win on a Heavy (9) Doomben track a fortnight back in the Listed Chief De Beers (1050m).

Byrne was on that day and retains the ride on The Virginian who only rises a half-kilo to 54.5kg as he looks for his first 1200m win since May last year.

He’s a class sprinter though and still only lightly-raced with three wins from seven career starts to date, while the Gold Coast galloper’s biggest performance was his third to Under The Louvre as an $81 roughie in last year’s Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm.

Occupying the third line of betting at $6.50 and also drawn nicely in gate four is the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Stratum colt Attention.

It has been over a year between wins for the now three-year-old who was last seen in the winners’ stall last Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival taking out the Group 2 BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1350m) at Doomben.

He’s been competitive in plenty since however and is out to improve on his close fourth on May 6 at the Gold Coast in the Group 3 Gold Coast Guineas (1200m).

Jeff Lloyd is replaced by Kathy O’Hara this weekend, Attention dropping to 53kg after carrying 57kg last start against his own age with a subsequent winning 1000m hit-out at the Gold Coast in between to bring him on fitness wise.

Also at single-figures in an open market are Team Snowden’s 59kg top weight Dothraki ($7.50) last seen running third in the Ortensia Stakes under 60.5kg and the New Zealand-trained four-year-old Savabeel stallion Splurge ($8) out to atone for his second last (9^th) to Jungle Edge in the Group 3 BRC Sprint (1350m) coming back to his pet distance (7-5-1-0).

See below for the current Moreton Cup 2017 betting odds, markets and weekend racing offers open now at Ladbrokes.com.au.

2017 Moreton Cup Betting