Race favourite Angelic Light will carry the number 13 saddlecloth as the final acceptor in a below capacity Winterbottom Stakes 2014 field for Saturday in Perth.

Angelic Light is top fancy for Saturday’s 2014 Winterbottom Stakes. Photo: Race Horse Photos Australia.

One of two Group 1s on the Ascot race card for Super Saturday this weekend, the $750,000 Crown Perth Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) attracted a baker’s dozen of final acceptors today.

Robbie Griffiths’ will saddle-up the top fancy in Winterbottom Stakes betting at Ladbrokes.com.au with Damien Oliver booked to ride his class mare Angelic Light.

The five-year-old daughter of Holy Roman Emperor was a second-up winner defeating the world’s highest rated sprinter Lankan Rupee in the Group 2 McEwen Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley.

Following that she’s twice been tested at Group 1 level at the same track when fourth to last year’s Winterbottom Stakes winner Buffering in the Moir Stakes and then second to Lankan Rupee who turned the tables in the Manikato Stakes on October 24.

Just a nose separated the first two over the line in the Manikato and the Cranbourne-based Griffiths opted not to run Angelic Light in the Flemington features during the Melbourne Cup Carnival, instead saving her for this raid on the western summer showdown.

At the opposite end of the Winterbottom Stakes field donning the number one is then last year’s runner-up Moment Of Change for Peter Moody.

The six-year-old Barley A Moment gelding hasn’t won a race since securing the Group 1 CF Orr Stakes – Futurity Stakes double over the 1400m at Caulfield back in February.

His latest effort was a credible run in the Group 1 Darley Classic (1200m) on Emirates Stakes Day where he ran well to finish fifth behind Terravista but just lacked that finishing burst.

The two other big name Winterbottom Stakes acceptors are then Magnifisio and Sidestep to be ridden by Jason Brown and Nash Rawiller respectively.

Magnifisio is the best fancied of the local hopes, Jim Taylor’s Bullsbrook-based Magnus mare coming off a close win in the Group 2 Lee Steere Stakes (1400m) from November eight.

She’s a six time winner over the mile however and boasts a great record over the track and distance (6-2-2-0).

Sidestep, donning the blinkers this weekend, comes across from the east for Godolphin and trainer John O’Shea.

The lightly-raced Exceed And Excel stallion has his 15^th start here chasing win number four and has raced exclusively in black-type company including a last start eighth in the Darley Classic first-up.

The other eastern state raiders along with Angelic Light, Moment Of Change and Sidestep are the Phillip Stokes-trained Éclair Big Bang over from Adelaide and Jason Warren’s Group 1 winner Bel Sprinter.

The Savabeel four-year-old has won two of his past three starts, including a 1400m victory at Flemington on Emirates Stakes Day, with Dom Tourneur retaining the ride.

Bel Sprinter won the Group 2 Caulfield Sprint (1100m) first-up on Caulfield Cup Day but then was disappointing on November 1 at Flemington when sixth, beaten 10 lengths by Deep Field in a 1200m Group 2 Derby Day sprint he’ll be out to improve on.

Waterman’s Bay is also back home in WA after a stint with Mark Kavanagh in Melbourne, the six-year-old joining the stables of Dan Morton with Steven Arnold getting the ride here.

Other notable Winterbottom Stakes hopes this year include Grant Williams’s last start Group 3 Coloney Reeves Stakes (1100m) winner from November 4 Shining Knight and runner-up in that race Testamezzo.

See below for the complete Winterbottom Stakes 2014 field, barriers and weight-for-age allocations – the barrier draw conducted on Tuesday evening.

Before then make sure you’ve got an account open online at our No. 1 recommended bookie Ladbrokes.com.au who will be supplying the hottest Perth Summer Racing Carnival odds over the coming weeks!

2014 Winterbottom Stakes Final Field

Ascot Racecourse – 22/11/2014