A great battle between two star mares is on the cards for Royal Randwick this weekend with Verry Elleegant and Colette renewing their rivalry in the Chipping Norton Stakes 2021.

First-up Chris Waller’s Caulfield Cup winning Zed mare Verry Elleegant ran an eye-catching third doing her best work late in the Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) a fortnight ago.

She is tipped to return to winning form second-up back at the track this Saturday as the punters’ pick in the Group 1 $600,000 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m).

Set to appreciate the extra distance, Verry Elleegant is one of just nine final acceptors in the Chipping Norton Stakes field that is full of class despite the diminutive size.

Drawn gate four, the favourite is at a current quote of $2.70 in Chipping Norton Stakes betting at Ladbrokes.com.au to continue Waller’s outstanding record in the race.

Waller has prepared eight of the past 10 Chipping Norton Stakes winners starting back in 2011 with Danleigh and boosted by the incredible four-peat of Winx (2016-19).

Along with Verry Elleegant, Waller also saddles-up three other Chipping Norton Stakes runners this season with Toffee Tongue, Funstar and Kolding.

All three are also graduates out of the Apollo Stakes having run sixth, fourth and second respectively behind the Godolphin-raced winner Colette.

The James Cummings-trained Hallowed Crown mare Colette won the $7.5 million Golden Eagle (1500m) last October and resumed in the Apollo Stakes.

She went around at double figures that day but was absolutely dominant with a two-length romp home over the class field.

Colette is being kept much safer in betting second-up against many of the same rivals on Saturday paying $3.20 in the Chipping Norton Stakes odds.

Jockey Rachel King continues her association on the gun four-year-old and is confident she’s on the right horse to win the Group 1, especially if there’s any give in the track.

“She is a little war horse,” King told Racenet this week.

“To come back and do what she did first-up, she has got plenty improvement in her and has proven she is very versatile.

“Hopefully it can keep raining during the week.”

The aforementioned Kolding is the other danger under double-figures, the Ocean Park five-year-old at $4.60 to win third-up.

He took out the Group 1 George Main Stakes (1600m) at this track and distance last September and also ran second first-up this prep in the Expressway Stakes before the Apollo Stakes placing.

Kolding presents fitter for the run, has Hugh Bowman retaining the ride and is out to turn the tables on the mares here.

The Chipping Norton Stakes is set to run as Randwick Race 6 at 4:25pm (AEDT) on Saturday with betting available here courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2021 Chipping Norton Stakes Field & Barriers

No	Last 10	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Probable Weight	Penalty	Hcp Rating
1	8x02110x22	KOLDING (NZ)	Chris Waller	Hugh Bowman	2	59kg			114
2	33x462605x	AVILIUS (GB)	James Cummings	Nash Rawiller	7	59kg			111
3	441301x79x	SOUTHERN FRANCE (IRE)	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Jason Collett	3	59kg			108
4	114x04508x	MASTER OF WINE (GER)	Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes	Tommy Berry	9	59kg			106
5	x68x0720x8	PRINCE FAWAZ	Anthony Cummings	Tom Marquand	1	59kg			99
6	12x14117x3	VERRY ELLEEGANT (NZ)	Chris Waller	James McDonald	4	57kg			120
7	111x0561x1	COLETTE	James Cummings	Ms Rachel King	8	57kg			112
8	142x6220x4	FUNSTAR	Chris Waller	Glen Boss	5	57kg			108
9	21x58203x6	TOFFEE TONGUE (NZ)	Chris Waller	Brenton Avdulla	6	57kg			104

Table Credit: Racing Australia.