It is a star-studded affair for The Shorts 2017 race at Royal Randwick on Saturday with the return of champion sprinter Chautauqua who will face off against three fellow horses confirmed for next month’s The Everest.

Early The Everest favourite Chautauqua returns in The Shorts 2017 field in Sydney on Saturday. Photo: Steve Hart.

A key support act on a Sydney race card headlined by the third campaign run of Winx in the 2017 George Main Stakes, this year’s Group 2 $200,000 Bowermans Office Furniture Shorts (1100m) is set to run as Randwick Race 7 at 3:55pm (AEST).

There may only be nine runners in this season’s The Shorts field, but there is plenty of depth among the final acceptors in the set weights plus penalties sprint.

Set to sit top of The Shorts odds at Ladbrokes.com.au is the Hawkes Racing-trained Chautauqua having his first run since making history with a third straight win in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) back in autumn.

The gun seven-year-old is a strong first-up performer boasting five wins and two other minor placings from his eight resuming runs to date so looks ready to fire fresh on the weekend.

Chautauqua heads towards an October 14 run in the $10 million The Everest (1200m) back at Randwick and will confirm his favouritism for that Restricted event with a win on the weekend.

So far six horses have been confirmed for the inaugural The Everest field and a further three of those are set to do battle with Chautauqua in Saturday’s The Shorts.

As announced overnight, the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Redzel has secured the slot for James Harron and that sees him run on Saturday instead of being saved for the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley on September 29.

“That was at the forefront of negotiations with the various slot holders,” Triple Crown’s Chris Ward told Racing NSW, speaking about the fact Redzel would go straight into The Everest after Saturday’s race without another run.

“We wanted to give him that preparation, if you go back through his form he’s been lethal off a four week break.

“Getting a slot now gives is that certainty so we can take that path and have a red hot crack at it.”

Redzel is drawn barrier five for the weekend where the super-consistent Snitzel gelding looks for his fourth win on the trot.

He went from strength to strength last preparation, rounding out an outstanding autumn – winter campaign with a win in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1200m).

The now five-year-old then kicked off on September 2 carrying 60kg to a two length win in the Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1000m), so second-up he should enjoy coming back to 58kg.

Also The Everest bound and warming up in The Shorts are the Matthew Dale-trained Fell Swoop and English for Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott, both gallopers first-up on Saturday.

“It’s going to be a very interesting race with the likes of Chautauqua, English and Fell Swoop,” Ward said of The Shorts.

“Everyone will be going in there keen to win it but at the end of the day the grand final is the Everest and everyone has an eye on that.”

Check out the full The Shorts 2017 field, barriers and jockeys below before heading to Ladbrokes.com.au for the top Saturday racing odds and futures The Everest betting.

2017 The Shorts Final Field & Barrier Draw

Randwick Race 7 (3:55pm) – 16/09/2017