Early favourite Sistine Demon has suffered a blow in their bid to salute for the punters in Saturday’s The Goodwood 2014 in Adelaide after coming up with a wide barrier 20 draw in the official field.

Robert Sangster Stakes winner Driefontein has drawn well with barrier three for Saturday's The Goodwood 2014. Photo: Jenny Barnes.

Final acceptances for this year’s $500,000 Group 1 The Tapestry Wines Goodwood (1200m) closed this morning with a capacity 20 starters plus two emergencies making up the field for the Morphettville classic.

Pre-post favourite in The Goodwood odds, Melbourne-based Excites four-year-old is sure to ease out in their price to win the South Australian Group 1 after coming up with the third widest gate.

A six length winner of the Group 3 Victoria Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield last start on April 19, Sistine Demon is prepared by Andrew Noblet who returns home to Adelaide for The Goodwood this year.

Also coming home is apprentice hoop Jamie Kah, currently on lone to Darren Weir, who guided Sistine Demon to victory in the Victoria Handicap from the outside barrier (14 of 14).

The pair will have to pull out a similarly impressive weaving effort at a much higher level this weekend though if Sistine Demon is to win ninth trophy from 17 starts.

It’s a tough ask though with only five of the past 18 The Goodwood winners having jumped form a double figure barrier.

Also suffering a wide gate in The Goodwood barrier draw is the reigning champion Platelet with 17 and Brad Rawiller to ride.

Darren Weir’s Strategic mare enjoyed a Group 1 double last season taking out the Robert Sangster Stakes and then The Goodwood, the latter from gate four (of 16).

She’s much wider for her title defense on Saturday however and comes off a second in the Robert Sangster 2014 behind the Gai Waterhouse-trained Driefontein.

Former star juvenile, the now four-year-old Fastnet Rock mare Driefontein is another headline acceptor for this year’s The Goodwood field as she looks to become the fifth female galloper on the trot to win the race.

Coming off back-to-back wins at the track having also beaten Platelet home in the Group 3 RN Irwin Stakes (1100m) before her Robert Sangster success, Driefontein was one of the winners in The Goodwood barriers coming up trumps with three.

It is a barrier that hasn’t produced a Goodwood winner in the past 31 years however.

Drawn one inside of Driefontein in barrier two, another barrier that no winner has jumped from since 1983, meanwhile is the possible new favourite – the Daniel Clarken-trained Miracles Of Life.

Winner of last year’s Blue Diamond Stakes during a stellar two-year-old prep, Not A Single Doubt filly Miracles Of Life won her first race since last Saturday here beating them home by two lengths in the Group 2 Euclase Stakes (1200m).

That was to have been her final career run before going under the hammer at the Gold Coast Magic Millions Sales later this month as a broodmare prospect.

Connections however have opted to give her a chance to bow out a Group 1 winner at home with a Goodwood victory to add to her record.

Another last start Morphettville winner backing up in The Goodwood is then the Leon MacDonald & Andrew Gluyas-trained Essay Raider (barrier 13).

After a fourth to Driefontein in the RN Irwin the Bernardini four-year-old went on to win the Group 3 DC McKay Stakes (1100m) on April 26 beating fellow The Goodwood hope Karacatis who was fourth in the Group 1 last year.

Other last start winners in the mix then include the returning Ken Sweeny-trained Matrice Stakes champ Riziz (barrier four), the David Hayes-trained Pago Rock (barrier nine) who won at Caulfield on April 19 and Peter Moody’s Bel Esprit Stakes winner at Sandown in March Office Bearer (barrier 10).

Hayes has also paid up for his talented filly Gregers drawn in barrier five with Dwayne Dunn to ride, the youngster just scraping into the starting line-up.

Commands three-year-old Gregers has already contested four Group 1s in her 12-start career, most recently backing up from a very close fourth to Spirit Of Boom when defeated half a length in the William Reid Stakes in Melbourne to run third in the Robert Sangster from April 26.

See below for the full The Goodwood 2014 field, barriers and jockeys.

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2014 The Goodwood Final Field & Barrier Draw

Morphettville Race 7 – 3:30pm (local) – 10/05/2014