The John O’Shea-trained Godolphin import Spectroscope leads the latest 2017 Hawkesbury Gold Cup betting markets for the mile feature this Saturday at Hawkesbury Racecourse.

Returning Godolphin import Spectroscope is favourite to take out Saturday’s 2017 Hawkesbury Gold Cup. Photo: Steve Hart.
Set to run as Race 8 as the penultimate event on the card at 4:15pm (AEST), this season’s $200,000 Group 3 Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m) features a capacity field of late autumn – early winter gallopers.
Sitting top of the current Hawkesbury Gold Cup odds online at Ladbrokes.com.au paying $5 to return to winning form is Medaglia D’Oro stallion Spectroscope.
The lightly-raced four-year-old has won four of his 10 starts to date, including back-to-back Rosehill events in March when kicking off his Australian racing career.
After success in the Group 3 Doncaster Prelude (1500m), Spectroscope could only manage a mid-field tenth to It’s Somewhat in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) on April 1.
He has trialled well since at Warwick Farm and is down in grace for this weekend’s assignment where the horse is well-supported to bounce back.
Occupying the second line of Hawkesbury Gold Cup betting this season at $7 is the rails-drawn Fabrizio for Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott.
High Chaparral five-year-old Fabrizio hasn’t won since last Melbourne Cup Day, failing in both his subsequent runs when last (14th) in December’s Group 2 Villiers Stakes (1600m) and second last (13th) on April 15 in a Benchmark 100 at Randwick.
He trialled beautifully at Hawkesbury on Monday however winning his 1250m hit-out and showing signs he was ready to return to his better form.
Despite the race attracting a full field just the one other Hawkesbury Gold Cup hopeful is under $10 for the win with early market mover Moher ($12 into $9) drawn barrier two second-up.
Getting in on the 53kg minimum weight with Kerrin McEvoy jumping aboard for the ride, Moher is one of the three other O’Shea-trained runners in the race along with the favourite Spectroscope.
The Lonhro four-year-old enjoyed a Randwick win in the wet over a mile on December 17 before failing first-up when eighth to Kellyville Flyer in the same race that produces Fabrizio.
Moher will relish a drop back from 57kg that run and be improved second-up.
Winner of that lead-up race was the Jason Attard-trained Kellyville Flyer who is at a current quote of $13 to go back-to-back with a Hawkesbury Gold Cup win on Saturday.
The Oratorio mare is a veteran seven-year-old still racing in top form, including her third to Happy Clapper two back in the Group 3 Newcastle Newmarket Handicap (1400m).
She is a dual winner and dual placegetter from five previous Hawkesbury runs and is well-weighted again on the weekend, but must overcome the far outside alley back at her home track in her campaign grand final.
See below for the full Hawkesbury Gold Cup 2017 betting odds open now at Ladbrokes.com.au.