One of the top support races on the Turnbull Stakes Day card in Melbourne on Sunday is the Gilgai Stakes 2016, betting tips and a detailed form guide for the Flemington feature found below.

Set to jump at 2:00pm (AEDT) as Flemington Race 4, this year’s $200,000 Group 2 Gilgai Stakes (1200m) field has nine runners and the latest markets at Ladbrokes.com.au are led by the Stradbroke Handicap winner Under The Louvre ($2.60).

Robert Smerdon has opted to run the Excellent Art stallion on Sunday over a Sydney run the day before and Under The Louvre is chasing his first win since taking out Brisbane’s Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) on June 11.

He has run twice this time in as a six-year-old and finished second at Caulfield over 1100m and then fourth only 2.15 lengths off the winner at the Flemington track three weeks back in the Group 2 Bobbie Lewis Quality (1200m).

Under The Louvre is down from 59kg that run to 57kg at set weights plus penalties on Sunday and he’ll be closing hard late looking to salute for the punters.

It’s an open edition of the Gilgai Stakes looking at the markets with the big threats looking to be Under The Louvre’s last start conqueror in the Bobbie Lewis Faatinah ($4.60) chasing successive Flemington wins and the autumn’s Newmarket Handicap winner at the track / distance The Quarterback ($6).

So can Under The Louvre return to winning form or is there value tipping an upset Gilgai Stakes result from the likes of the early market mover Stratum Star ($8) or the rails-drawn distance specialist Durendal ($14)?

1^st

#4 Faatinah ($4.60)

Might not have the Group 1 winning record of some of these, but the Lindsay Park-trained Nicconi four-year-old is on the up-and-up and loves this distance (6-3-1-0). He wasn’t far off the winners as a $41 roughie when 2.7 lengths beaten for fifth in Adelaide’s Group 1 The Goodwood (1200m) in May, before returning to win the Bobbie Lewis over some good gallopers. He’s up from 53kg that day to 57kg on the weekend, but still think he’s got enough upside in a race likely run to suit to hold them off again.

2^nd

#2 The Quarterback ($6)

Robbie Griffiths’ six-year-old son of Street Boss won the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap over this track / distance defeating Black Heart Bart as a $21 outsider, and is back at Flemington for the first time since first-up on the weekend. He’s been trialling nicely in Victoria including a 990m win on a wet Cranbourne track on September 19 to help sharpen him up for this winnable resuming run where he jumps from a favourable barrier three draw.

3^rd

#1 Under The Louvre ($2.60)

Well backed favourite who’ll be coming close in a possible blanket finish down the straight. Hasn’t finished worse than fourth in nearly a year and only needs to improve a touch third-up off the Bobbie Lewis fourth. Well weighted, Flemington suits, one of the best performed over the meters (15-6-2-4) and Dwayne Dunn retains the ride.

Back our exclusive Flemington Turnbull Stakes Day racing tips now at Ladbrokes.com.au – home of Odds Boost (T&Cs apply).

2016 Gilgai Stakes Form Guide