This Saturday, June 8, the big three-year-olds’ race may be the 2013 Queensland Derby in Brisbane but Victoria’s Flemington Racecourse will also host a black type feature for that age group with the A.R. Creswick Stakes 2013.

There were a bumper 28 nominations for this year’s edition of the $120,000 Listed A.R. Creswick Stakes (1200m) which is a great end of season sprint race for three-year-olds not suited to the testing mile and a half of the $500,000 Group 1 Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm.

One of the sure to be favourites in this year’s A.R. Creswick Stakes is the Geoff Wheeler-trained She Can Skate, the Bradbury’s Luck filly coming off a sensational Caulfield win from May 25.

A winner on debut at the Geelong synthetic track last November, She Can Skate resumed off a five month break in a handicap over 1100m last start and was able to charge home by four lengths.

That victory, her trainer’s first ever metro success, set the progressive filly up for a shot at the Creswick which will be She Can Skate’s first look at the 1200m.

The horses that ran the next three placings in that race have also all been nominated to take on their last start conqueror She Can Skate in the AR Creswick Stakes this weekend with the Danny O’Brien-trained Pins filly Spending (2^nd), Group 3 Kiwi winner So Wotif (3^rd) who has won four of their nine starts to date running top three in a further four of those runs, and Written Tycoon colt Grand Emperor (4^th).

Other notable hopes among the A.R. Creswick Stakes nominations include Robbie Griffiths’ up-and-comer Edgewood and Tasmanian raider Mister John.

Strada gelding Mister John is yet to finish out of the money boasting five wins and two minor placings from their seven career assignments, their best effort being a three quarter length victory over Kenjorwood in the Listed Tasmanian Guineas (1600m0 at Launceston back in early January.

They make their interstate debut on Saturday on the back of a third to Royal Rapture in the Autumn 3YO Classic (1400m) back home but whether the 1200m will be a little sharp for them remains to be seen.

Also in the mix are the lightly-raced Peter Moody-trained Bel Esprit gelding Bel Seal, the undefeated Scimitar, Winta Chiller after their third consecutive victory and the Sam Kavanagh-trained Words Are Weapons.

The Morphettville-based Dubawi filly Words Are Weapons is also out to retain a flawless record having won both of her starts so far firstly at Gawler by two lengths and then at Morphettville Parks over 1000m on May 25 where she own by an easy three lengths.

“I don’t know how she’ll go over six furlongs for the first time and down the straight for the first time, but she’s certainly got ability,” Kavanagh said.

“I don’t know how far she’s going to go but this was the logical step.

“She only has a couple of months left to get black type as a three-year-old.

“This race and the Dermody Stakes are the logical races to try to do that.”

The $80,000 Listed Dermody Stakes (1050m) runs in Adelaide on July 27.

Check out the full A.R. Creswick Stakes entries and ballot below with the final field set to be released on Wednesday.

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2013 A.R. Creswick Stakes Nominations

Flemington Racecourse – 08/01/2013

#	Horse	Trainer	Ballot	Wgt.	Hcp. Rating
1	EDGEWOOD	Robbie Griffiths	3	58.5kg	67
2	GRAND EMPEROR	Dean Howard	1	58.5kg	76
3	MISTER JOHN	Royston Carr	4	57.5kg	74
4	SHE CAN SKATE	Geoff Wheeler	2	56.5kg	76
5	AWESOME BRO (NZ)	Leon Corstens	5	56kg	76
6	BEL SEAL	Peter G Moody	23	56kg	62
7	BEYOND INFINITY	David Hayes	14	56kg	68
8	COME BY OFTEN	Mick Price	28	56kg	62
9	CROOKHAVEN	Mark Kavanagh	9	56kg	72
10	MAGNUS REIGN	Rick Hore-Lacy	7	56kg	70
11	MAURIZIO	David Hayes	20	56kg	66
12	NORTH ATLANTIC ICE	Tom Hughes	27	56kg	61
13	PILLAR OF CREATION	Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra	13	56kg	64
14	PRELUSIVE STRIKE	Henry Dwyer	15	56kg	68
15	PRIMITIVE MAN	Shane Fliedner	10	56kg	72
16	SCIMITAR	John Sadler	17	56kg	67
17	SEVEN DEGREES	Michael Kent	26	56kg	62
18	SO WOTIF (NZ)	Richard Collett	8	56kg	74
19	WRITTEN OFF	Byron Cozamanis	22	56kg	61
20	CHARITY BELLE	Peter Gelagotis	24	54kg	62
21	DANE OPERA	Danny Curran	25	54kg	61
22	DANESTROEM	Michael Kent	19	54kg	62
23	HAI LIL	Allen Browell	6	54kg	75
24	LA TIKKA ROSA	Peter G Moody	16	54kg	67
25	NOISETTE	David Brideoake & David Feek	21	54kg	58
26	SPENDING (NZ)	Danny O’Brien	11	54kg	70
27	WINTA CHILLER	Ross Pecora	12	54kg	68
28	WORDS ARE WEAPONS	Sam Kavanagh	18	54kg	68