Simon Miller’s classy WA-trained filly Whispering Brook is one of the headline nominations taken for the Thousand Guineas Prelude 2016 at Caulfield Racecourse this weekend in Melbourne.

Sweet Sherry is one of the top early fancies for Caulfield’s 2016 Thousand Guineas Prelude this weekend in Melbourne. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

A star in her home state, the visiting Perth raider has won five of her six career starts to date heading into Saturday’s $200,000 Group 2 Schweppes Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) on Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes Day.

The nicely-bred daughter of Hinchinbrook is a multiple Group champion back home at Ascot and her sole loss to date was a first-up second behind Merriest at Moonee Valley on September 3 in the Listed Atlantic Jewel Stakes (1200m).

Whispering Brook jumped from barrier 12 of 13 at the tight Valley circuit that run and crossed only a short half-head off the winner, improvement predicted as she gets out to 1400m at Caulfield this weekend.

In the latest all-in Thousand Guineas odds at Ladbrokes.com.au for the Group 1 on October 8, Whispering Brook pays $10 for the win, while she occupies the second line of pre-field betting for the Prelude this weekend at $6.

Leading the Thousand Guineas Prelude markets before final acceptances at $4 for the win meanwhile is Leotie for local horseman Henry Dwyer.

The top fancy of the 19 Thousand Guineas Prelude nominations taken on Monday by Racing Victoria, the Darci Brahma filly ran second in the Group 3 Quezette Stakes (1100m) two back at the track before dropping in class to win a Benchmark 78 for three-year-old fillies at Caulfield on August 27.

The next best in betting for Saturday’s Group 2 in the current futures markets is Sweet Sherry ($7.50) prepared out of Flemington by Leon & Troy Corstens.

The daughter of Be Esprit is yet to finish in the money from two previous Caulfield runs, her latest start at the track producing a sixth to Extreme Choice in February’s Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) as a $101 roughie.

She backed-up from that crossing a brave seventh at triple figures again ($151) when under four lengths off the winner Capitalist in Sydney’s Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m).

This time in Sweet Sherry has had two runs for a narrow Moonee Valley win on August 20 and a third in the Atlantic Jewel Stakes, which could prove the form line to follow into Saturday.

The equal highest-rated Prelude nominated filly along with Whispering Brook is Kiwi raider Luna Rossa prepared by Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman, the Group 1 winning daughter of Written Tycoon yet to race down under.

She is at $13 to win her Australian debut.

The other three single-figure hopefuls meanwhile are Quezette Stakes winner I Am A Star ($8), the Phillip Stokes-trained Samara Dancer ($8) and Lindsay Park’s up-and-comer Sebring Dream ($9).

The Shane Nichols-trained I Am A Star has won three of her five starts including the Group 3 here in mid-August over Leotie and is out to improve on a last start fifth to Foxplay at Randwick in the Group 2 Furious Stakes (1200m).

Prepared out of Adelaide horseman Stokes’ Caulfield base, Hinchinbrook filly Samara Dancer has winning form at the track in the Group 2 Blue Diamond Prelude as a two-year-old.

She failed to make an impression when 14^th in the Group 1 Blue Diamond, her only run since being a first-up third to Saracino in the Group 2 Danehill Stakes (1200m) down the Flemington straight a fortnight back.

See below for the full Thousand Guineas Prelude 2016 nominations, the field and barriers along with updated markets from Ladbrokes.com.au set for release on Wednesday.

2016 Thousand Guineas Prelude Nominations

Caulfield Racecourse – 24/09/2016