Dual Doomben Cup champion Huetor is favourite to win Saturday’s 2024 A.D. Hollindale Stakes at the Sunshine Coast with the important winter lead-up taking place outside of the Gold Coast for the second year running.

Dual Doomben Cup champ Huetor (pictured in Sydney) is favourite to win the 2024 AD Hollindale Stakes this weekend. Photo: Steve Hart.

Ongoing track upgrades at the Gold Coast has the Hollindale meeting transferred to Caloundra again this season with racing on the card headlined by the Group 1-bound hopefuls facing off in the Group 2 $500,000 A.D. Hollindale Stakes (1800m).

The Sunshine Coast track is currently rated a Heavy (10), and with more rain on the forecast, there will no doubt be a mud track for Saturday.

One of the best Hollindale contenders proven on Heavy going is the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Archipenko seven-year-old Huetor (9:2-0-3).

He runs in his third straight edition of the race having placed fourth to Zaaki at the Gold Coast in 2022 and second to the same champion at the Sunshine Coast last May, both performances leading to him winning the Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m) back-to-back in Brisbane.

Huetor resumed for this prep on March 30 with a disappointing second last (15^th) in Rosehill’s Group 2 Doncaster Prelude (1500m) before improving notably when up in trip on a Heavy (9) Randwick track to salute by a big margin in the Group 3 JRA Plate (2000m) on April 20.

He is back to 1800m now, which isn’t ideal, but the wet course plays to his strengths and he can steer clear of trouble from out wide with Tommy Berry in the saddle.

The latest A.D. Hollindale Stakes odds at Ladbrokes.com.au have Huetor on top at $3.60 to go one better than last year and best handle the testing conditions.

The key danger according to the bookies sitting second in Hollindale Stakes betting at $4.20 is Chris Waller’s Queensland Derby winner from last winter, Kovalica.

He jumps one the inside of the favourite from barrier 13 with Nash Rawiller retaining the ride on the Ocean Park four-year-old.

Kovalica was last seen running fifth to runaway champion Pride Of Jenni at Randwick on April 13 in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).

It has been nearly a year since his last turf triumph in the Queensland Derby over 2400m at Eagle Farm last May, but he has support in the markets to break the drought on Saturday.

Two other runners are also at single-figures in AD Hollindale betting with the Gavin Bedggood-trained Just Folk ($7) mid-field in gate eight with Mark Zahra aboard and Annabel Neasham’s Mighty Ulysses ($8) in barrier seven for jockey Ryan Maloney.

Magnus seven-year-old Just Folk has a 50% winning strike rate from his six starts on Heavy tracks and has the benefit of a last start Group 3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m) win.

He is on the quick back-up having won that mile event on a Good (4) last weekend and will relish the wet.

Mighty Ulysses is untested on Heavy going but the bookies are taking no chances with this class import who won the Listed Brisbane Mile Quality (1600m) at Eagle Farm on April 27 with 58.5kg on his back.

Neasham chases her fourth straight Hollindale after the historic three-peat of Zaaki (2021-23).

Along with Mighty Ulysses she saddles-up three other contenders in 2024 with her resuming veteran Numerian ($19) who was excellent in WA over the summer, the rails-drawn Naval College ($14) who is also first-up having won three on the trot last time in, and Jimi Hendrix ($17).

The 2024 A.D. Hollindale Stakes is scheduled as Race 7 at 4:08pm (AEST) on the nine-race Sunshine Coast card with full markets from Ladbrokes.com.au available by clicking here.

2024 AD Hollindale Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

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