This Saturday a field full of second-tier fillies and mares will face off in the Emancipation Stakes 2013 at Randwick for Sydney Cup Day, our exclusive betting tips and preview for which can be found below.

The field for the $175,000 Group 2 M.J. Bale Emancipation Stakes (1600m), running as Race 3 at 1:40pm (AEST), is down to 11 hopefuls this year following the early scratching of #12 Bugaboo.

Current favourite in the Emancipation Stakes odds is Ken Kelso’s New Zealand raider Xanadu at $3.50.

The Elusive City four-year-old races down under for the first time this weekend having earned her late trip across the Tasman after a good win in the Group 1 NZ Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes (1600m) earlier this month.

She easily accounted for a field of her own kind there and will be out to do the same over the same distance in Sydney from barrier four with Hugh Bowman taking the mount.

In a two-horse Emancipation Stakes betting battle defending champ Skyerush ($2.90) has had some early support after drawing nicely in gate two.

Guy Walter’s veteran Super Jet seven-year-old proved she had plenty left in her winning two of her three starts this time in including the Group 3 Doncaster Prelude at this track and distance on April 13.

From there she could have gone to the Group 1 Doncaster Mile but Walter has had her set for this title defense and is confident she’ll get the job done again.

The two other hopefuls under $10 in the markets are then Chris Waller’s Kiwi import Say No More ($7) who won last year’s NZ Thoroughbred Breeders from a horror gate, and the Peter Snowden-trained Lonhro five-year-old Raspberries ($7) coming off a fourth to Skyerush in the Doncaster Prelude.

Other longer priced chances with genuine claims then include the Peter Moody-trained Mossman mare Plucky Belle ($11) to get the inside run from barrier one as she comes off a good 1400m win at Caulfield, Snowden’s Octagonal mare Shannara ($15) out to improve on her 10^th in Group 1 company on Golden Slipper Day and the John Sargent-trained daughter of Exceed And Excel Cathay Lady ($15) who won four on the trot at the end of last year.

So is the favourite the one to beat? Or is there an upset Emancipation Stakes result on the cards?

The expert team of tipsters at Races.com.au has done the hard work for you going over the field and form with a fine eye to uncover where the value is at.

To Win

#3 Skyerush ($3.90)

• Won this race last year off a tough start to her autumn and has had a much easier kick-off this time in
• Winner of the Group 3 Doncaster Prelude over the Randwick mile on April 13 which she sees again here
• Bypassed the Doncaster Mile as has been set for this for a while
• Comes off 58kg against the boys to 56.5kg against her own sex which is a big advantage
• Gate two is also a gun gate for the evergreen seven-year-old who will have regular rider Blake Shinn in the saddle again
• Great record at Randwick (6-3-2-0) and over the distance (9-3-1-2)
• Her Emancipation win 12 months ago was one of two over the track and distance, her other run over the 1600m here producing a second

To Place

#2 Xanadu ($3.50)

• First run down under for this nice New Zealander and she will benefit from the run for sure
• Drawn nicely in gate four and is in very capable hands with Hugh Bowman to ride
• Group 1 winner back home at her last start when scoring an easy victory in the NZ Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes over the mile
• Has awesome form around some true stars last spring including her second to subsequent Cox Plate winner Ocean Park in the Group 1 Challenge Stakes (1400m) in September and her third to 10-time Group 1 champ King Mufhasa in the Group 1 Windsor Park Plate (1600m)
• Has earned a shot at this and is definite Each Way chance

#10 Plucky Belle ($11)

• Progressive Peter Moody-trained Mossman four-year-old having her maiden Group start since her debut at Flemington in March of 2011
• Always runs an honest race and won her last at Caulfield over 1400m from barrier 12 of 12
• Getting a chance to step it up here in her maiden Sydney start so needs to handle the opposite way of racing and the distance but looks like she might do both

Whether you’re backing or sacking our Emancipation Stakes 2013 tips make sure the odds you lock in are the best possible by betting online at bookmaker.com.au – home of the exclusive Pick Your Own Odds markets!

*All odds quoted are Fixed Win from bookmaker.com.au and subject to change