Chris Waller’s Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival hope Kencella will kick off the new season this weekend at Moonee Valley racing in the Carlyon Stakes 2014 where the gelding is the narrow favourite to win.

Exceed And Excel five-year-old Kencella is one of the 12 remaining hopes in this year’s $120,000 Listed 1Print Carlyon Stakes (1000m) following the early scratching of #4 Uate which drew the outside barrier.

Due to jump from barrier three with Damien Oliver in the saddle Waller’s Sydney raider is top fancy in the latest Carlyon Stakes 2014 odds at Ladbrokes.com.au paying $4.20 to keep his perfect first-up record in tack.

To date he has won both resuming runs, the Group 3 Maurice McCarten Stakes (1100m) winner racing for the first time since a poor finish when 11^th to Tiger Tees in the Group 1 The Galaxy (1100m) on March 29.

Hot on Kencella’s heels in Carlyon Stakes betting paying $4.60 is then the also resuming Shamal Wind.

Craig Williams rides Robert Smerdon’s Dubawi mare which makes her five-year-old debut on the weekend.

The stakes winner took out a 1000m race down the Flemington straight back in early April before her latest effort when fifth behind Driefontein in the Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) in Adelaide, Shamal Wind having won a trial over 800m in the mud earlier this month ahead of her return.

The other single figure fancies are then:

• #3 Villa Verde ($5.50) – Wide barrier 10 draw for Anthony Cummings’ Not A Single Doubt mare, the four-year-ol dgrey first-up off a strong autumn that included a Group 2 Challenge Stakes (1000m) win first-up at Randwick, a third in The Galaxy at elite level and more recently a fourth in the Robert Sangster Stakes also in Group 1 companey
• #13 Angels Beach ($7) – Inside running for this ultra-consistent Bel Esprit five-year-old from the Peter Moody stables, she has won three straight with wins at Caulfield, Flemington and Morphettville last campaign, an awesome first-up record (4-3-1-0) giving her connections confidence going into this
• #12 Minaj ($9) – Plenty of hype surrounding the return of Anthony Freedman’s Commands mare, the four-year-old having failed in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate in February before a black-type win in Adelaide and a fifth at Morphettville last time out at Group 3 level on April 26, Moonee Valley specialist though having won both her starts here and also goes well fresh with three wins from four first-up runs

Just outside of the top chances are then some other genuine hopes at nice prices including the Tony McEvoy-trained Rubiton Stakes runner-up to the world’s highest rated sprinter Lankan Rupee Iconic ($11) and the lightly-raced O’Malley ($11) which has won three of her five starts and finished second in the other two.

Check out the full Carlyon Stakes 2014 odds below, fixed win prices open to Ladbrokes.com.au customers who can also access a top Sydney offer on Saturday – money back up to $50 if your Warwick Stakes selection runs second!

2014 Carlyon Stakes Odds