Early Blue Diamond Stakes favourite Extreme Choice kicks off his Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival campaign this Saturday at Caulfield in the Chairman’s Stakes 2016.

2016 Blue Diamond Stakes favourite Extreme Choice lines-up in Saturday’s Chairman’s Stakes at Caulfield Racecourse. Photo: Steve Hart.

The promising Mick Price-trained Not A Single Doubt colt pays $6 in the pre-field markets for the $1.5 million Group 1 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) on February 27 after winning the Inglis Nursery (1000m) at Randwick on debut back in December.

Now he races again in his first Melbourne assignment leading a nine-horse field in the $150,000 Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes (1000m), which is due to jump as Caulfield Race 4 at 3:00pm (AEDT) on Saturday.

Damien Oliver takes over for Glyn Schofield in the saddle and rides the highly spruiked colt from barrier seven.

There are just two other two-year-olds with previous race experience in this year’s Chairman’s Stakes field with Highland Beat and Pearl Congenial jumping from barriers two and nine respectively.

David Hayes & Tom Dabernig prepare Exceed And Excel colt Highland Beat who has had four previous runs for a win and a second.

The win came second-up at Moonee Valley on December 11 following his ninth on debut behind Missrock in the Listed Debutant Stakes (1000m) at Caulfield during the spring.

Last time out he travelled to the Gold Coast for the $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic where he only managed to finish 10^th behind current 2016 Golden Slipper Stakes favourite Capitalist.

Hayes & Dabernig also have unraced More Than Ready colt Dam Ready in the field racing first-up from gate eight without an official trial.

The Robert Smerdon-trained Pearl Congenial has the outside barrier and Craig Williams in the saddle, the well-performing Gio Point filly after her maiden win at career start number three.

She was runner-up in the Debutant Stakes before her third to Dalradian in the Inglis Nursery (1000m) on Cox Plate Day last October and trialled nicely at Sandown when runner-up over 800m to Hussy’s Glow ahead of Saturday.

Peter Moody has two debutants in the Chairman’s Stakes field this season with nicely-bred Reward For Effort gelding Gratwick and Exceed And Excel filly Mandee jumping from barriers five and three respectively.

The other unraced youngsters lining up in the mix are local Sebring colt Revolving Door, Simply Invincible who was runner-up in an October trial at Cranbourne to subsequent Maribyrnong Plater winner Power Trip and the Michael Kent-trained filly Onemorenomore.

See below for the full Chairman’s Stakes 2016 field, barriers and jockeys then head to the country’s leading sportsbook Ladbrokes.com.au for access to the weekend’s and autumn’s top racing odds.

2016 Chairman’s Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw

Caulfield Race 4 (3:00pm) – 06/02/2016