Single Gaze Leads 2017 PJ O’Shea Stakes Betting

Nick Olive’s Group 1 winning mare Single Gaze has opened favourite in PJ O’Shea Stakes 2017 betting to beat home her five rivals in the old Eagle Farm Cup at Doomben Racecourse on the weekend.

Last year’s Vinery Stud Stakes winner Single Gaze is tipped to beat home the boys at Doomben leading 2017 PJ O’Shea Stakes betting for this weekend. Photo: Steve Hart.

With the entire Queensland Oaks Day card transferred to Doomben for 2017, this year’s $200,000 Group 2 PJ O’Shea Stakes (2200m) is set to run on Saturday as Race 4 at 2:00pm (AEST).

The weight-for-age feature attracted a diminutive field of just six runners and sitting top of the current PJ O’Shea Stakes odds at Ladbrokes.com.au is the sole mare in the mix, Single Gaze.

Drawn gate three with Kathy O’Hara to ride, the four-year-old daughter of Not A Single Doubt is chasing her first win since saluting at the track over the mile on April 22 in the Listed Tails Quality (1600m).

She went on to finish a brave second to Doncaster Mile champ It’s Somewhat at the Gold Coast on May 6 in the Group 2 AD Hollindale Stakes (1800m) before a last start sixth in the Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m).

This weekend the 2016 Vinery Stud Stakes winner will relish a drop down in grade and is in this class could prove the one to beat if she handles the extra metres.

Close second elect occupying the second line of PJ O’Shea Stakes betting is High Church ($3.60) from the Victorian stables of Darren Weir.

The six-year-old enjoyed a runaway six length win in the Listed Warrnambool Cup (2350m) two back before running second as the beaten favourite at Morphettville a fortnight ago in the Listed Port Adelaide Cup (2500m).

He is down in distance for this and will run the 2200m no worries, but his best efforts have been under handicap conditions putting a query on his weight-for-age abilities.

Early market mover hot on the heels of High Church is the retiring Preferment at $3.70 to bow out a winner.

Chris Waller’s four-time Group 1 champion is in gate two with Hugh Bowman aboard for the five-year-old Zabeel stallion’s swansong start.

Another AD Hollindale Stakes graduate, Preferment finished two lengths back for third that day but hasn’t won a race since the Group 1 The BMW (2400m) in March last year.

It’s been a long time between drinks, but this is a winnable race for the $3.4 million earner at weight-for-age over the distance.

With such a small field it is a wide open affair and all but one of the runners are under double-figures.

Helen Page’s last start Doomben Cup third placegetter Rudy ($6.50) and eighth placegetter in the same Group 1 lead-up Cylinder Beach ($8.50) round out the single-figure hopes, while the three-year-old Garbhan ($34) is the race roughie drawn the rails.

See below for the full PJ O’Shea Stakes 2017 betting odds, markets provided by Ladbrokes.com.au.