This Saturday the 2013 PB Lawrence Stakes will take centre stage at Caulfield Racecourse and to help punters back a winner in this telling Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival lead-up below is the Races.com.au’s exclusive form and betting guide on the race.

Scheduled to steal the show at 3:20pm (AEST) when running as Caulfield Race 6, this year’s $220,000 Back to Caulfield P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) features a quality final field of nine gallopers.

Clear favourite in the PB Lawrence Stakes odds is the Darren Weir-trained Puissance De Lune ($2.40) who is also the $8.50 shortie in the early Melbourne Cup betting markets.

The galloper from Ballarat won the Bendigo Cup and Queen Elizabeth Stakes over 2400m and 2600m by eight and five lengths respectively in the spring earning their title as the pre-post Melbourne Cup 2013 favourite.

They returned and lost few admirers in the autumn when sharing first place in the Blamey Stakes over the Flemington mile with Budriguez before being turned out to undergo surgery for bone chips.

After some exciting track work over the past couple of weeks and more praises from jockey Glen Boss Puissance De Lune is now ready to return.

But will they be wound up enough for a first-up win over the 1400m? Or will punters have to wait to cash in on them later in the spring when they get up over more distance for something like the $3 million Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) in October?

Punters that have already taken them in the futures markets for the ‘race that stops a nation’ will actually be hoping they lose the Lawrence if the history books are anything to go by.

First run in 1949 and formerly known as the JJ Liston Stakes, the Lawrence Stakes has produced 64 winners none of which have gone on to win the Melbourne Cup.

Meanwhile the last Melbourne Cup winner to come via the Lawrence was well back in 1992 with Subzero.

There are a number of other promising runners in the mix out to upset the favourite including the reigning PB Lawrence Stakes champion Second Effort ($5.50), early market mover Launay ($6) from the stables of Peter Snowden and the in-form Ajeeb ($9.50) vying for their third win on the trot.

This is what the betting markets say but what about the history and form on this classic spring preparatory event?

To save you time scrolling over the Lawrence Stakes form we’ve done the work for you and come up with the must know facts and stats below so you can place a well-informed wager on the weekend’s major.

2013 PB Lawrence Stakes Form Facts & Betting Stats

• Last year’s winner was the Clinton McDonald-trained Second Effort who won the race-first up from barrier 5 (of 11) with Chris Symons in the saddle
• This year #1 Second Effort ($5.50) is back after another win but this time they are third-up, have gate four and will be ridden by Brad Rawiller
• Just two other horses have won dual editions of the Lawrence Stakes with My Peak (1960 & 62) and Tauto (1971 & 72)
• Three in the field meanwhile resume racing here this time with #4 Puissance De Lune ($2.40), #7 Bianmick ($151) and #8 High Esteem ($15)
• All nine most recent Lawrence Stakes winners won the race either first-up or second-up
• Of those second-up winners three of the four came via a resuming run in the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes; this year #2 Launay ($6) is the only one second-up out of that race finishing third behind Second Effort
• Last year’s winning barrier (5) meanwhile belongs on Saturday to recent Monash Stakes winner #6 Pago Rock ($10)
• There are four last start winners in the race (both resuming and coming off a win this prep) with #1 Second Effort, #4 Puissance De Lune, #8 High Esteem and #9 Ajeeb
• If successful #1 Second Effort will join Super Elegant (2003), Apache Cat (2007) and Shoot Out (2010) as the three previous horses to complete the Bletchingly Stakes – Lawrence Stakes double
• #9 Ajeeb ($9.50) also boasts the highest win rate of the field with 66.67% having won four of their six starts to date followed by #4 Puissance De Lune (53.85%) and #6 Pago Rock (52.63%)
• The best place rate meanwhile belongs to #4 Puissance De Lune (76.92%) followed closely by #5 Under The Sun ($10) and #6 Pago Rock both with 68.42%
• Horses with the best record at the Caulfield track are then #1 Second Effort (10-3-0-2), #6 Pago Rock (6-3-0-0), #8 High Esteem (2-1-0-0) and #9 AJeeb (1-1-0-0)
• Over the 1400m distance the ones to beat then look to be #1 Second Effort (4-1-0-2), #2 Launay (11-5-0-0), #5 Under The Sun (4-2-2-0), #6 Pago Rock (6-2-2-0), #7 Binamick (5-2-0-0), #8 High Esteem (2-1-0-0) and #9 Ajeeb (1-1-0-0)
• There are then four horses to have previously won over the Track & Distance with #1 Second Effort (3-1-0-1), #3 Under The Eiffel (11-1-4-0), #6 Pago Rock (3-1-0-0) and #9 Ajeeb (1-1-0-0)

Stay tuned to Races.com.au for our insider PB Lawrence Stakes tips to be published shortly.

Already have your selections picked out and want to lock them in now at the best possible price? Head over to bookmaker.com.au and enjoy betting with this 100 percent Australian owned, operated and trusted bookie!

2013 P.B. Lawrence Stakes Field & Form Guide

Caulfield Race 6 – 3:20pm (AEST) – 17/10/2013

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

#	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Br.	Wgt.	AS	Days	API	Career	W%	P%	Last 6
1.	SECOND EFFORT	C W Mcdonald	Brad Rawiller	4	59	7yoG	21	$21,928	30: 11 3 4	36.67%	60.00%	x00131
2.	LAUNAY	Peter Snowden	Kerrin Mc Evoy	1	59	7yoG	21	$21,617	28: 8 6 3	28.57%	60.71%	x214x3
3.	UNDER THE EIFFEL	A J Vasil	Steven Arnold	8	59	6yoG	21	$16,267	37: 9 6 3	24.32%	48.65%	371426
4.	PUISSANCE DE LUNE	D K Weir	Glen Boss	7	59	6yoH	161	$37,115	13: 7 3 0	53.85%	76.92%	211x1x
5.	UNDER THE SUN	Ms G Waterhouse	Craig Williams	9	59	5yoG	14	$19,268	19: 7 6 0	36.84%	68.42%	521217
6.	PAGO ROCK	D A Hayes	Chad Schofield (a)	5	59	6yoG	21	$19,016	19: 10 3 0	52.63%	68.42%	x16115
7.	BIANMICK	Michael Brady	Ryan Plumb	2	59	7yoG	182	$9,021	31: 9 1 5	29.03%	48.39%	10x09x
8.	HIGH ESTEEM	P G Moody	Luke Nolen	6	58.5	4yoH	126	$26,494	9: 4 1 0	44.44%	55.56%	60111x
9.	AJEEB	M G Price	Stephen Baster	3	58.5	4yoH	21	$16,533	6: 4 0 0	66.67%	66.67%	117×11

*Form Guide Credit – [sportsbet]