Trainer Chris Waller could be in-line for a big day at Royal Randwick on Saturday including saddling-up the narrow favourite Libran in The Metropolitan 2017 betting.

Kingston Town Stakes winner Libran is narrow favourite in The Metropolitan 2017 betting this weekend. Photo: Steve Hart.

Waller has four of the 12 runners in this season’s Group 1 $750,000 The Metropolitan (2400m) as he looks for a third win in the mile and a half feature.

Heading The Metropolitan odds online at Ladbrokes.com.au paying $5 is Glyn Schofield’s mount Libran who carries the equal 57kg top weight.

History is against the Lawman seven-year-old as no The Metropolitan winner has carried more than 56.5kg to victory since Hayai (57.5kg) for his second in 1984.

That hasn’t stopped the bookies installing the proven stayer at the top of the markets after Libran carted the same weight to a one and a half-length win at Randwick a fortnight back in the Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m).

He steps up in distance on Saturday and has won three of his five previous 2400m assignments, plus has form over further having run second in the 2016 Sydney Cup.

The Kingston Town Stakes produced last year’s The Metropolitan winner Sir John Hawkwood (2^nd in 2016) and is tipped as the form race to follow into the Group 1 again this spring.

It is an open The Metropolitan betting affair in 2017 with a further five hopefuls under $10 for the win including the also Waller-trained Antonio Giuseppe ($5.50) and Life Less Ordinary ($5.50) who ran second and third respectively in the Kingston Town Stakes a fortnight back.

Shocking gelding Antonio Giuseppe is bred to go the distance being a son of a former Melbourne Cup winner, but hasn’t won a race since February.

He comes back from 55kg last start to 54.5kg and has the ‘Magic Man’ Joao Moreira booked for the ride.

Kerrin McEvoy comes back aboard the imported Life Less Ordinary who chases just his second run down under and is first in Sydney coming back from 55kg to a 51kg lightweight.

Waller’s other The Metropolitan hope is the other 57kg top weight Who Shot Thebarman who is at $12 with Hugh Bowman riding the nine-year-old stayer.

Rounding out the single-figure fancies meanwhile are Big Duke ($6.50), Foundry ($9) and Broadside ($9.50).

The Darren Weir-trained Big Duke is out to improve on a 10^th to Caulfield Cup-bound Harlem in Melbourne’s Group 3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m) last weekend.

The Raven’s Pass six-year-old is rock hard fit and will appreciate returning to Randwick where he has an excellent record including the Sydney Cup third behind Polarisation (1^st) and Who Shot Thebarman (2^nd) this autumn.

Foundry is third-up for owner Lloyd Williams, the Galileo eight-year-old only lightly-raced for his age having his 16^th career start.

His latest start produced a close fourth when under a length beaten by the winner Magnapal over 2040m at Moonee Valley on September 9 carrying 56.5kg.

He drops right back getting into The Metropolitan field on just 50.5kg making him a genuine lightweight flyer to watch.

Broadside meanwhile also presents as a fit horse to watch, the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained galloper having won the Group 3 Newcastle Gold Cup (2300m) on September 15 before his third in the Group 3 Colin Stephen Quality (2400m) at Rosehill last weekend.

Check out the full The Metropolitan 2017 betting odds below, pricing open now at Ladbrokes.com.au.

2017 The Metropolitan Odds