Brilliant Newmarket Handicap winner Bivouac will jump the favourite in William Reid Stakes 2020 betting under the lights at The Valley tonight after the gun three-year-old drew barrier one for the sprint feature.

Newmarket Handicap winner Bivouac leads 2020 William Reid Stakes betting for The Valley on Friday night. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

An 11-horse field of potential TJ Smith Stakes-bound horses will take to the tight Moonee Valley circuit in Race 7 this evening for this autumn’s edition of the Group 1 $500,000 William Reid Stakes (1200m).

Drawn the inside alley, the Godolphin-raced Exceed And Excel colt comes off a big 2.5 length victory in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) down the Flemington straight second-up.

He has jockey Hugh Bowman coming aboard for his first ride on the three-year-old this year after success aboard the James Cummings-trained youngster in the Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m) last September and his second in the Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1200m) over the Cup Carnival.

Bivouac has his second career start at The Valley having finished a luckless sixth as the beaten odds-on favourite at the track in last October’s Group 1 Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes (1200m).

Tipped to repeat the Newmarket – William Reid double the filly Sunlight completed in 2019, Bivouac sits at the top of the William Reid Stakes odds at $2.50 through Ladbrokes.com.au.

The Manikato Stakes winner and last start runner-up to Bivouac in the Newmarket, the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained I Am Invincible filly Loving Gaby occupies the second line of William Reid Stakes betting at $5.

She is drawn well midfield in barrier five with jockey Craig Williams to continue his successful association on the ultra-consistent filly.

Williams has ridden her four times on the trot for four top three runs including the Manikato victory at the track giving her the perfect two-from-two record to uphold at The Valley ahead of the Friday night feature.

Loving Gaby was also runner-up to Nature Strip in Flemington’s Group 1 VRC Classic (1200m) last November when tested against the older horses and she looks a genuine hope to turn the tables on Bivouac at Moonee Valley.

A further two horses are also under $10 in the latest markets with fellow three-year-old Exceedance out to $8 for Hawkes Racing and the Lindsey Smith-trained Scales Of Justice at $9.50.

Tommy Berry comes back aboard Exceedance, another colt by Exceed And Excel, having last partnered the galloper for his third to Bivouac in the Golden Rose Stakes in Sydney last year.

Exceedance won the rematch between the two ace young sprinters when he took out the Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington, before Bivouac got one back in the Newmarket where Exceedance only managed to cross sixth.

He will be fitter second-up for the William Reid Stakes and how he handles The Valley will be key to his chances here.

Scales Of Justice meanwhile is a veteran compared to the trio of top fancied three-year-olds in the William Reid Stakes field.

The Not A Single Doubt seven-year-old comes off a close sixth when under two lengths beaten by yet another three-year-old, Alabama Express, in the Group 1 CF Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Blue Diamond Day and drops back in distance for this.

First-up he won at the track and distance defeating Hey Doc in the Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) and he could be back in the money here.

Click here for the latest 2020 William Reid Stakes odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2020 William Reid Stakes Field