Hong Kong-based jockey Brett Prebble has been confirmed to ride Attention in Saturday’s Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington Racecourse.

Brett Prebble will ride Attention in Saturday’s Group 1 Australian Guineas at Flemington. Photo: Steve Hart

A former Victorian hoop, Prebble has experienced plenty of top-line success in Australia through hit-and-run missions in recent seasons and notably won the Australian Guineas in 2015 aboard the Gai Waterhouse-trained Wandjina.

Attention has been a strong and consistent performer for Peter & Paul Snowden since debuting in the spring of 2015 and will carry a positive race record of two wins and three minors through ten starts, into his Australian Guineas tilt.

Winner of the Group 3 The Schweppervescence (1400m) at only his third career start, the Stratum colt announced himself to the wider Australian racing community when he arrived in Brisbane during the 2016 winter for second behind Winning Rupert in the Group 2 Champagne Classic (1200m) and an impressive win in the Group 2 BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1350m).

Kept away from racing in spring with a view towards autumn three-year-old targets, Attention clearly required a run when he beat only one runner home in the Group 2 Expressway Stakes (1200m) first-up, but responded with a strong second in the Group 2 Autumn Stakes (1400m) on February 11^th.

Having hit the line well for fourth amongst open company in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield last weekend, Attention should relish a return to his own age group and step-up in distance when he steps out in the Australian Guineas 2017.

Attention is set to be named amongst a capacity Australian Guineas field of sixteen following the completion and release of a barrier draw on Wednesday morning, and will carry 56.5kgs as a colt.

Attention is currently available at early 2017 Australian Guineas odds of $17 with online bookie Ladbrokes.com.au and subsequently shares the fifth line of betting with the likes of Inference and Oak Door.

The Tony McEvoy-trained Hey Doc ($4) is the early Australian Guineas favourites, ahead of Morton’s Fork and Seaburge ($10).