The 2011 Australia Stakes gets the Melbourne Autumn Carnival Group racing underway tonight at Moonee Valley’s Friday Twilight meet and below the Races.com.au team provide our readers with the exclusive Australia Stakes Betting Tips to get you winning big.

The $200,000 Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) is scheduled to run as Race 6 at Moonee Valley tonight, jumping at 9:15pm (AEDST).

A field of nine sprinters make up the currently Australia Stakes field following the early scratching of #1 Scenic Shot.

Typhoon Tracy is the clear favourite in the markets, Peter Moody’s five-time Group 1 winning mare having shortened in from her opening quote of $2.40 to around $1.90 in the Luxbet markets.

A possibility to start odds-on tonight, there is a lot to like about Typhoon Tracy and she is the deserved favourite.

Boasting the best percentage of wins having claimed victory in 10 of her 18 career starts, five of which were elite level, the reigning Horse of the Year is unbeaten over the 1200m distance of the Australia Stakes.

However, there have been some queries over the Red Ransom mare’s ability to sprint the 1200m tonight as it’s the shortest distanced run Typhoon Tracy has had in close to two years.

Still she is in peak fitness and should be fresh first-up her resuming for the season, has drawn ideally in barrier two and is one of the 56.5kg light-weights of the field.

We are sticking with the favourite here even with her short odds and fancy Typhoon Tracy to leave them for dead in becoming the 2011 Australia Stakes winner.

2011 Australia Stakes Race Tips – Moonee Valley Race 6

• Races.com.au Favourite: #9 Typhoon Tracy – Rated Special to Win – Check odds at Luxbet
• Best Place Bets: #2 Heart Of Dreams and #10 Ortensia

With the favourite looking hard to beat and sitting at such a short quote in the market, for punters seeking some extra value in their 2011 Australia Stakes bets tonight we have also selected the two best Place chances from the field.

Adding value to the Quinella and Trifecta bets is the Mick Price-trained Heart Of Dreams, the five-year-old gelding paying around $17 to win and $4 to place in the markets at Luxbet.

Heart Of Dreams boasts the highest percentage of placings of the field at 40% making them a great chance to finish in the money.

Ortensia is the second favourite in the Australia Stakes odds and is our other top pick to finish in the top three tonight.

Tony Noonan’s mare returns to the Australian tracks having run a respectable fifth in the Hong Kong Sprint on December 12.

The Testa Rossa mare has a good 56.5kg weight for tonight and advantages from her barrier three draw where she should stay on pace with Typhoon Tracy.

So head over to Luxbet now and open you account with this Tabcorp-owned online bookmaker to check out the full Australia Stakes odds and betting markets now!

Photo courtesy (c) Taron Clarke Photography