The premier race for fillies and mares on the Queen Elizabeth Stakes Day program in Sydney this weekend is of course the 2015 Queen Of The Turf Stakes, betting tips for the Randwick classic detailed below.

Catkins was the beaten favourite last year but Races.com.au are tipping her to atone and win the 2015 Queen Of The Turf Stakes this weekend in Sydney. Photo: Steve Hart.

This year’s $1 million Group 1 Cellarbrations Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) features a final field of 15 hopefuls due to face off in Race 7 at 3:15pm (AEST) on Day 2 of The Championships.

Leading the latest Queen Of The Turf Stakes betting markets at Ladbrokes.com.au at a firming $3.40 is smart young filly First Seal who is looking to become the first three-year-old to win the Queen Of The Turf Stakes since Forensics (2008).

Her biggest threat then lies in barrier seven with the Robert Smerdon-trained Victorian visitor Noble Protector ($3.60) who comes off back-to-back Melbourne wins, the most recent of which was a two length effort at Moonee Valley in the Group 2 Sunline Stakes (1600m).

So will the top two in betting battle it out to the line or is there an upset Queen Of The Turf Stakes result on the cards from one of their longer priced rivals such as Chris Waller’s honest grey mare Catkins ($4.60) or even Gai Waterhouse’s Canterbury Stakes winner Cosmic Endeavour who has been backed in from $21 to $17 for the win?

1^st

#2 Catkins ($4.60)

At this price we are happy to back Waller’s ultra-consistent daughter of Dubawi to finally break her Group 1 duck after so many close calls at elite level. She’s super deserving of that elusive top win, her most recent effort being a second to Cosmic Endeavour in the Canterbury Stakes. She comes off an easy two length win in the Group 2 Emancipation Stakes at Rosehill, which produced last year’s upset 40/1 winner Diamond Drille. Catkins jumped favourite for this last year but finished sixth, she’s in flying form again this autumn and is out to atone. Barrier 10 gives her a challenge but she boasts the best Win Rate of the field (48%), has finished second in two of her three starts at Randwick, and handles a Soft track.

2^nd

#14 First Seal ($3.40)

She’s the current favourite and is looking to become the eighth favourite to win this race in the past 11 years. That’s an imposing stat working to her advantage. She’s drawn a treat in barrier eight for James McDonald, this Group 1 winning filly having finished worse than second in just one of her 10 career starts to date. Her last win was in the Group 2 Surround Stakes (1400m) before two Group 1 seconds when beaten just a nose by Plucky Belle in the Coolmore Classic and then a neck by Fenway in the Vinery Stud Stakes. She’ll be close again and it’ll frustrate connections but she’s a definite danger to our pick for first.

3^rd

#8 Gypsy Diamond ($26)

A really nice value bet for third likes in barrier 12 for Peter & Paul Snowden. It’s a wide gate, and one that is yet to produce a Queen Of The Turf winner, but think this improving Not A Single Doubt mare has claims for another top three run after her third to Catkins in the Emancipation last time out. She’s up over the mile for the eighth time and has twice won over the distance. She also handles a Soft (4-0-2-1) and Heavy (3-1-0-0) track so if the rain is around she can handle it. Was third behind the boys in a Group 3 at Warwick Farm earlier this autumn from a wide barrier 14 of 14 draw so definitely not writing her off in this.

Get in on the Queen Of The Turf Stakes 2015 betting action online now at Ladbrokes.com.au and enjoy access to their Best Tote or SP + 20% markets on all four of the Group 1 Sydney races on Saturday!