One of the key support races on the Turnbull Stakes Day card in Melbourne this Sunday is the Group 2 Gilagi Stakes 2015, tips for the sprint showdown found below.

Running as Flemington Race 3 at 1:40pm (AEST) on a bumper nine-race program, this year’s $200,000 Group 2 Gilgai Stakes (1200m) features a field of 10 hopefuls with the latest markets at Ladbrokes.com.au firmly led by the odds-on fancy Chautauqua.

Drawn in gate nine with Dwayne Dunn to ride, the Team Hawkes-trained $2.5 million earner is the class horse in the line-up without doubt and shoots for back-to-back wins after a first-up victory in the Group 2 McEwen Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley four weeks back.

If anything is going to beat the Group 1 winning Encosta De Lago gelding the bookies say it is Churchill Dancer ($9), the David Hayes & Tom Dabernig-trained fellow five-year-old the only other single figure hope as he chases his third win on the trot.

So will Chautauqua salute at his odds-on price or is there a massive upset Gilgai Stakes 2015 result on the card at Flemington this AFL Grand Final Day?

1^st

#1 Chautauqua ($1.35)

Chautauqua is odds-on but deservedly so and is going to be very hard to beat, looking rock hard fit second-up after the nice win resuming last time out. He’s one of the country’s best sprinters and the $2.5 million in prize money proves it. Since winning the Group 2 at the Valley four weeks back he had a nice jump out to keep him on track and while he’s going to need to be at his best with the 57kg under the set weights plus penalties conditions, he doesn’t need to win by much to win.

2^nd

#2 Delectation ($15)

Nice odds on offer for this Chris Waller-trained Shamardal four-year-old who is a Group 2 winner over the distance in Sydney back in the autumn winning the Arrowfield in the wet over Bring Me The Maid. The progressive gelding has won four from 17 to date and this is his pet distance (10-3-3-2) that he’ll appreciate getting back up to second-up on the back of a last when sixth, still only beaten under three lengths, in the Group 2 The Shorts over 1100m last time out. Is classy on his day and could surprise if he turns up.

3^rd

#4 Churchill Dancer ($9)

In-form galloper, this five-year-old won at Moonee Valley in a Benchmark 90 two back by nearly four lengths in a very nice effort before repeating that at Flemington, his fourth run from 11 at the famous track, when defeating Under The Louvre in the Group 2 Bobbie Lewis Quality (1200m) on September 12. Under The Louvre franked the form with a Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke third last weekend and now the winner gets the chance to do it again here.

Now is the time to sign-up with Ladbrokes.com.au ahead of Turnbull Stakes Day as they are offering a generous Best Tote or SP + 20% on every Flemington race this Sunday!