Sydney’s premier trainer Chris Waller welcomes back to the track two of his spring Group 1 winners Press Statement and Vanbrugh who head the Hobartville Stakes 2016 field at Rosehill on Saturday.

Chris Waller’s Caulfield Guineas winner Press Statement returns to racing in Saturday’s 2016 Hobartville Stakes in Sydney. Photo: Steve Hart.

Running as Race 7 at 4:25pm (local), this year’s $400,000 Group 2 CRC Hobartville Stakes (1400m) attracted a quality field of 13 three-year-olds including three for Waller.

His outside home in barrier five with Tommy Berry to ride is Torgersen, the Pins colt out to atone for his first-up eighth in the Group 3 Eskimo Prince Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on February 6.

He is joined in the line-up by two better fancied stablemates with Press Return and Vanbrugh both kicking off their Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival campaigns.

Dual Group 1 champion Press Statement races for the first time since his smart success over Lizard Island in the Caulfield Guineas (1600m) last October, his second elite level win over the mile following the JJ Atkins in Brisbane.

He has trialled twice in the lead-up to his return and has a solid Rosehill track record of two wins and a second from four previous runs.

Hugh Bowman continues his association on Saturday and the duo are drawn in gate eight.

Suffering an early blow with the outside alley (13) in the Hobartville Stakes is Vanbrugh who Tye Angland will partner first-up.

The Encosta De Lago colt won three on the trot in Sydney to finish off his spring including the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) on October 10.

He has work to do from the nasty barrier this weekend however, his first run over 1400m.

Boasting the fitness edge over Waller’s resuming top level winners is the Gerald Ryan-trained Eskimo Prince Stakes winner Spill The Beans.

The Snitzel colt showed excellent form earlier in the month to take out the Group 3 by nearly two lengths with Tim Clark in the saddle and shoots for back-to-back wins from his gate nine draw in the Hobartville Stakes.

Also coming out of the Eskimo Prince Stakes is the Kris Lees-trained runner-up Le Romain who is out to turn the tables on his last start conqueror this weekend.

The consistent son of Hard Spun won over 1000m at Randwick in the wet in the run before the Eskimo and steps up over 1400m for the first time from barrier 11 with Christian Reith aboard.

The other youngster coming off a win this time in is the Anthony Cummings-trained Montaigne in gate four for Jason Collett, the progressive but lightly raced Road To Rock gelding having just his fourth career start.

He comes off back-to-back wins in Sydney, the latest over the mile at Randwick on February 6 that he won by over two lengths.

Along with Waller the other top Sydney trainer with multiple Hobartville Stakes runners this season is Godolphin’s John O’Shea with Etymology (2), Shards (10) and Tarquin (6).

New Approach colt Etymology is on track for a big autumn looking to continue on from his ace spring preparation that closed with a second to Tarzino in the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) on October 31 at Flemington.

Shards meanwhile has already raced once this campaign when fourth in the Eskimo Prince Stakes and is looking to continue his good Rosehill form (4-1-2-0) in his first run at the track since crossing second to Press Statement in the Group 2 Stan Fox Stakes (1500m).

The last of O’Shea’s runners Tarquin is another Eskimo Prince Stakes graduate, the Group 2 Pago Pago Stakes winner from last March crossing last beaten nine lengths with 11^th to Spill The Beans first-up.

See below for the full Hobartville Stakes 2016 field, barriers and jockeys then back your favourite three-year-olds this weekend and into the autumn online at Ladbrokes.com.au!

2016 Hobartville Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw

Rosehill Race 7 (4:25pm) – 20/02/2016