Just six stayers are accepted to face off in the 2017 PJ O’Shea Stakes field at Doomben Racecourse as part of Saturday’s relocated Queensland Oaks Day meeting.

Doomben Cup third placegetter Rudy drops in class for the 2017 PJ O’Shea Stakes this weekend on Queensland Oaks Day. Photo: Daniel Costello.

Due to run as Doomben Race 4 at 2:00pm (AEST) and formerly known as the Eagle Farm Cup, this season’s $200,000 Group 2 PJ O’Shea Stakes (2200m) has attracted the smallest field on the program.

In his career swansong and heading the diminutive line-up is the Chris Waller-trained Preferment drawn in gate two with Hugh Bowman to ride the four-time Group 1 champion.

A five-year-old Zabeel stallion Preferment retires post his run in the PJ O’Shea Stakes on Saturday, which is his 29^th trip to the races.

To date he has amassed over $3.4 million in prize money thanks to his Group 1 victories and he runs second-up on the weekend out to improve on his last start fourth behind Doncaster Mile winner It’s Somewhat in the Group 2 AD Hollindale Stakes (1800m) at the Gold Coast on May 6.

Coming off a gun last start run in the Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m) is the Helen Page-trained Rudy who ran third in that feature a fortnight back.

A six-year-old son of Red Dazzler, the Gold Coast-based galloper is sure to relish the drop in class and much smaller field on Saturday chasing his first win since a black-type over the Doomben mile in May last year.

Rudy went into the Doomben Cup as a $26 roughie crossing only one and a half-lengths behind the winner Sense Of Occasion and is sure to be kept much safer in PJ O’Shea Stakes betting at Ladbrokes.com.au.

Also coming off a last-start placing is the Darren Weir-trained High Chaparral six-year-old High Church who heads to Doomben for the first time on the weekend.

Winner of the Listed Warrnambool Cup (2350m) on a Heavy (8) track by six lengths on May 4, High Church was last seen finishing second to Time To Test in the Listed Port Adelaide Cup (2500m) two weeks ago and drops back in distance for the PJ O’Shea Stakes.

Another gun hope in the mix is Nick Olive’s Group 1 winning mare Single Gaze.

The four-year-old daughter of Not A Single Doubt is best known for her upset win in the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill last year, which was followed by her fall in the ATC Oaks.

Since then she has had six starts including the brave AD Hollindale Stakes second and her last start sixth in the Doomben Cup.

Rounding out the field are the local Desleigh Forster-trained Toowoomba Cup winner Cylinder Beach to be ridden by Jim Byrne on the back of an eighth in the Doomben Cup and the likely roughie hope Garbhan taking on the older horses.

See below for the full PJ O’Shea Stakes 2017 field and barriers, betting to open shortly on all the Queensland Oaks Day races at Ladbrokes.com.au.

2017 PJ O’Shea Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw

Doomben Race 4 (2:00pm) – 03/06/2017