The season’s top-tier two-year-olds take to the Doomben track on Saturday in the JJ Atkins 2017, a full race form guide and betting preview for which is detailed below.

Sizzling (2012) was the last two-year-old to complete the BRC Sires’ – JJ Atkins double that the Kiwi filly Melody Belle attempts this weekend in Brisbane. Photo: Steve Hart.

Running as Race 6 at 2:20pm (AEST) on the Stradbroke Handicap Day card, this year’s $600,000 Group 1 JJ Atkins (1600m) features 15 young hopefuls.

Just three of those are currently under double-figures in JJ Atkins betting at Ladbrokes.com.au thanks to the dominance of the firming favourite Melody Belle ($2.30 into $2).

The New Zealand-trained filly is drawn gate nine chasing her fourth win on the trot and is out to do the BRC Sires’ – JJ Atkins double after a five length annihilation of her rivals in the former first-up down under.

Favourites have a solid recent strike rate in the JJ Atkins results including the win by fellow Kiwi Sacred Elixir ($5) last year, giving merit to the markets’ bias on Melody Belle this weekend.

The “dangers” looking at the latest JJ Atkins odds are Capital Gain ($8) and Taking Aim ($8.50) who ran a fast-finishing fifth and distant second respectively to the gun filly in the Group 2 BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) a fortnight ago at Eagle Farm.

To see if Melody Belle really is the one to load-up on this weekend in the mile classic check out the full JJ Atkins 2017 form guide, betting history and statistical data on the race below.

2017 JJ Atkins Form Facts & Betting Stats

• Last year’s JJ Atkins winner was the Tony Pike-trained New Zealand raider Sacred Elixir (2016) who came off a BRC Sires’ second, jumped from barrier 11 (of 18) and saluted for the punters as the $5 favourite with Zac Purton in the saddle
• The New Zealand-trained runners in this year’s JJ Atkins field are: #8 Qiji Phoenix ($10) and #13 Melody Belle ($2)

• The previous JJ Atkins winning trainers with a runner on the weekend are: Chris Waller (9-2-3-1) with #2 Tangled and #10 Sambro; Peter Snowden (7-1-0-3) with #1 Taking Aim, and Brian Guy (9-1-0-0) with #15 Silky Brown
• The previous JJ Atkins winning jockeys with a ride this year are: Kerrin McEvoy (8-2-0-2) on #2 Tangled, Corey Brown (9-1-0-1) on #5 Pierata, Tommy Berry (1-1-0-0) on #10 Sambro, Mark Zahra (1-1-0-0) on #14 Aloisia and Tye Angland (2-1-0-0) on #15 Silky Brown
• The barrier form on the JJ Atkins is hard to stack-up against the historical data with the race run at Doomben over the wider Eagle Farm track in 2017
• The only other time in over 30 years the event took place at Doomben was in 2015 when Press Statement won from barrier 10 of 12; barrier 10 belongs this year to #10 Sambro
• The BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes has been the standout JJ Atkins form line to follow in the past three decades with the double recently completed by Pressday (2010) and Sizzling (2012)
• #13 Melody Belle chases the BRC Sires’ Produce – JJ Atkins double in 2017
• The other BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes graduates accepted for a rematch this weekend are: Taking Aim (2^nd), Pierata (3^rd), Capital Gain (5^th), Qiji Phoenix (7^th), Tangled (10^th), Eminent (13^th) and Mishani Bullitt (14^th)
• In the past decade four favourites in JJ Atkins betting have saluted for the punters and this year #13 Melody Belle ($2) jumps top fancy
• The last double-figure JJ Atkins winner to score a notable upset was Linky Dink ($26) in 2009
• Along with the short-priced favourite the other single-figure hopes in the JJ Atkins odds this year are #3 Capital Gain ($8) and #1 Taking Aim ($8.50)
• Just two fillies have beaten home the boys in the JJ Atkins over the past decade; the fillies in the mix this year are: #13 Melody Belle ($2), #14 Aloisia ($10) and #15 Silky Brown ($61)
• The highest Win Rate of the field belongs to #8 Qiji Phoenix (75%) followed by #13 Melody Belle (67%)

The best Place Rate of the field belongs to #9 Up Trumpz (86%) followed by #1 Taking Aim (83%) and #13 Melody Belle (83%)

• The only runner already proven over a mile is #8 Qiji Phoenix (1-1-0-0)
• The horses with previous place form at the Doomben track are: # Tangled (1-1-0-0), #4 Eminent (3-1-1-0), #3 Capital Gain (2-0-1-0), #6 Mishani Bullitt (1-0-0-1) and #12 Magnufighter (2-0-0-1)

Check out the complete JJ Atkins 2017 form guide provided by Ladbrokes.com.au below and stay tuned for our insider tips on the Group 1 to be published shortly.