An ideal midfield barrier draw for Scales Of Justice has the Australia Stakes winner on track for another win as the punters’ pick for Saturday’s 2020 CF Orr Stakes at Caulfield.

A dozen weight-for-age hopefuls make-up the field for this year’s Group 1 $500,000 Neds C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) including the veteran of the race, the Lindsey Smith-trained seven-year-old Scales Of Justice.

Jockey Dean Yendall continues associations with the two-time winning Not A Single Doubt gelding who is likely to settle just off the pace from barrier seven.

Scales Of Justice was impressive fresh at The Valley last start when charging home for a three-quarter length victory over the beaten favourite Hey Doc in the Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m).

Yendall gave the winner a gun ride that day and a repeat of the Australia Stakes effort should see the Perth expat home again.

Stepping-up to 1400m also suits the CF Orr Stakes favourite with Scales Of Justice winning his second Group 1 race, nearly three years after the 2016 Railway Stakes success, in the Memsie Stakes over the CF track and distance in the spring.

Already firming, Scales Of Justice is also the early CF Orr Stakes market mover backed in from $3.30 to $3.20 through Ladbrokes.com.au.

Occupying the second line of CF Orr Stakes betting at $5.50 is then the Tony & Calvin McEvoy-trained Australia Stakes runner-up Hey Doc out to turn the tables.

The Duporth six-year-old is looking to return to winning form having won WA’s Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) last November before his Australia Stakes loss.

He has an excellent second-up record (6:3-1-0) however and should also be suited to the 1400m with barrier five to help him break his maiden status at Caulfield (5:0-0-2).

Getting the weight advantage off his older rivals is then the $7.50 third favourite, progressive Redoute’s Choice colt Alabama Express.

Trainer Michael Moroney has opted to throw the three-year-old in the deep end with a C.F. Orr Stakes run following the up-and-comer’s two length win carrying 58.5kg at Flemington over 1100m on January 18.

He faces his acid test here but with the lighter weight and boasting plenty of upside, Alabama Express gets the chance to match it with the big boys on Saturday.

A further two other runners in the CF Orr Stakes field are under $10 to win in the latest markets with Group 1 winners Begood Toya Mother ($8) and Fierce Impact ($9) drawn in barriers six and eight respectively.

The Daniel Bowman-trained Begood Toya Mother is looking to atone for his disappointing seventh when beating home just one other runner in the Australia Stakes first-up.

His run there was hampered by the fall of the ill-fated Manuel however and punters have already disregarded it.

He will be fitter for the run and will relish the return to his pet Caulfield track where he boasts three wins from four starts.

The five-year-old carried a lightweight to victory here in September’s Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) on the back of a sixth to Scales Of Justice in the Memsie Stakes and is a genuine place chance.

Fierce Impact meanwhile returns to racing following a Group 1 winning double to see out his spring campaign in Melbourne.

The well-bred Deep Impact stallion was nearly two lengths clear of his closest rival in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield from barrier 15 of 18 before franking that form with his Group 1 Cantala Stakes (1600m) victory at Flemington over the Cup Carnival.

Fierce Impact was also drawn wide last time out (14 of 16) and so barrier eight this weekend with Craig Williams in the saddle looks ideal, although the horse could be needing the run before presenting his best.

Click here for the latest 2020 CF Orr Stakes odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2020 CF Orr Stakes Field & Barriers

#	Form (Last 10)	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Hcp. Rating
1	511x42147x	AVILIUS (GB)	James Cummings	Damian Lane	3	59kg	116
2	1x7x58x312	HEY DOC	Tony & Calvin McEvoy	Luke Currie	5	59kg	113
3	x53x1215x1	SCALES OF JUSTICE	Lindsey Smith	Dean Yendall	7	59kg	114
4	x6720x211x	FIERCE IMPACT (JPN)	Matthew Smith	Craig Williams	8	59kg	112
5	36Px58166x	KINGS WILL DREAM (IRE)	Chris Waller	Mark Zahra	2	59kg	110
6	0x6768256x	FIFTY STARS (IRE)	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig	Jye McNeil	4	59kg	107
7	50x125040x	SO SI BON	David & B Hayes & T Dabernig	Luke Nolen	12	59kg	104
8	0x1322x30x	MIRAGE DANCER (GB)	Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	Ben Melham	9	59kg	110
9	000x59260x	NIGHT’S WATCH (NZ)	Chris Waller	Damien Oliver	11	59kg	105
10	1111x161x7	BEGOOD TOYA MOTHER	Daniel Bowman	Declan Bates	6	59kg	107
11	047100x6x4	RINGERDINGDING	Anthony Freedman	John Allen	1	59kg	98
12	1x2517x1	ALABAMA EXPRESS	Michael Moroney	Michael Dee	10	55.5kg	81