Gerald Ryan’s multiple Group 2 winner Deploy kicks off his autumn campaign that is aimed at a possible TJ Smith Stakes assignment first-up as the favourite in Saturday’s Southern Cross Stakes 2018 field.

TJ Smith Stakes-nominated sprinter Deploy is a first-up favourite in Southern Cross Stakes 2018 betting at Randwick this weekend. Photo: Steve Hart.

A key support act on the Apollo Stakes Day card at Royal Randwick, this year’s Group 3 $150,000 ACJC Southern Cross Stakes (1200m) runs as Race 4 at 3:10pm (AEDT) and features a nine-horse field.

Leading early Southern Cross Stakes betting at Ladbrokes.com.au paying $2.90 to salute first-up is Fastnet Rock five-year-old Deploy.

The gelding saluted in back-to-back Sydney races last spring including his impressive four length effort over dual Group 1 winning mare Egg Tart in the Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill before a last start ninth to Redzel in the $10 million The Everest (1200m).

He has trialled since when fourth to The Everest winner Redzel, who also resumes on Saturday in Melbourne’s Group 1 $750,000 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington, in a 1000m Warwick Farm hit-out on February 5.

Deploy has excellent form at the Randwick track (5:3-1-0) and boasts a 50% winning strike rate over the distance (8:4-1-0), but is heavily weighted with 59.5kg to carry from gate three with Tye Angland aboard.

Ryan has the sprinter nominated for a number of ‘The Championships’ races back at Randwick in April including the Group 1 $2 million TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) that Deploy pays $34 in futures markets to win.

It is an open edition of the Southern Cross Stakes this autumn with a further four runners under $10 for the win including the $4.20 second elect and 60.5kg top weight Clearly Innocent.

Drawn one on the outside of Deploy in gate four, the Kris Lees-trained Not A Single Doubt six-year-old was last seen finishing under three lengths back fifth to Redzel in Flemington’s Group 1 Darley Classic (1200m) in November.

He chases his first win since the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) in the wet at Eagle Farm last winter, which he backed-up from to run third to Impending in Doomben’s Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1350m).

Saturday Clearly Innocent faces a much easier class of rivals to that he faced late in the spring, and despite giving the weight away is considered a livewire hope after his first-up third to In Her Time at the track and distance in the Group 2 Premiere Stakes (1200m) last time in.

The other best in betting are Dothraki and Kaepernick at $5.50 each, before Boss Lane ($9.50) rounds out the single-figure fancies.

Peter & Paul Snowden saddle-up Mossman seven-year-old Dothraki from barrier five, the veteran out to improve on his seventh when four lengths beaten by Viddora in the $1 million Magic Millions Sprint (1200m) at the Gold Coast in mid-January.

The Southern Cross Stakes marks his 42^nd career start and he chases just his seventh win, but has form around Deploy having run second to Saturday’s favourite in the Group 2 Moreton Cup (1200m) in Brisbane last winter.

Kaepernick represents former Godolphin trainer John O’Shea, the son of Fastnet Rock also a graduate out of the Magic Millions Sprint having run fourth only two and a half lengths off the winning mare.

Boss Lane meanwhile is Ron Quinton-trained and set to enjoy the drop back to 57kg after carrying 59.5kg to a brave second behind Memes last month in the Summer Sprint (1000m).

Check out the full Southern Cross Stakes 2018 field, barriers and odds below with pricing provided by Ladbrokes.com.au.

2018 Southern Cross Stakes Field & Odds