Bjorn Baker’s returning Group 1 winning sprinter Music Magnate is tipped as the summer galloper to beat at Royal Randwick on Saturday leading the Christmas Cup 2017 field and betting markets.

Class sprinter Music Magnate is tipped to return to winning form in the 2017 Christmas Classic at Randwick on Saturday. Photo: Steve Hart.

Due to run as Randwick Race 7 at 4:10pm (AEDT) on the December 30 line-up, this season’s Listed $150,000 Christmas Classic (1200m) field attracted a dozen hopefuls.

Sitting top of the Christmas Classic odds at Ladbrokes.com.au for the short-distance clash is the 61kg top-weight Music Magnate ($3.10) who has plenty of work to do first-up under those kilos.

Blake Shinn partners the lightly-raced six-year-old when the son of Written Tycoon steps out for the 20^th time on Saturday, chasing his ninth career win.

Music Magnate, a million dollar earner, has strong Randwick form having enjoyed two wins and a second from five previous starts at the track he returns to for the first time since his fifth to Le Romain on a Heavy (10) course in the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) in early March.

A Group 2 Victory Stakes (1200m) success in Brisbane followed in late April before the galloper ran dead last (13^th) in both the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1200m) and Group 1 Kingsford-Smith Cup (1300m) in a disappointing end to his winter campaign.

Music Magnate won the previous year’s Doomben 10,000 so has class on his day and heads into the far easier Christmas Classic assignment on the back of successive Rosehill trial wins this month.

“We’re really happy with him – he trialled well,” Baker told Racing Victoria after Music Magnate’s latest trial win on December 22.

Three other runners also sit under $10 in the latest Christmas Classic betting markets including the $4.80 second favourite Eckstein.

Kurt Goldman saddles-up the four-year-old I Am Invincible mare who chases her first turf triumph since Eagle Farm’s Group 3 Glenlogan Park Stakes (1300m) back in late May.

Eckstein is undefeated over the Christmas Classic distance boasting a prefect four-from-four record over 1200m and she’s down in grade after her devastatingly close second as a $31 roughie behind Shoals at Flemington on Derby Day in the Group 1 Myer Classic (1600m).

The other best in betting are the rails-drawn Kuro ($7) and Snippets Land ($8.50) at the other end of the field out in gate 11.

Prepared by Godolphin’s former head trainer John O’Shea, Kuro has jockey Tye Angland riding as the Denman six-year-0old looks to go two better than his lead-up third to Zestful in the Listed Razor Sharp Handicap (1200m) at Randwick a fortnight back.

Kuro carried 59kg and was a $21 outsider that day, but won’t be found near that price on the weekend coming back down to 57.5kg.

Snippets Land meanwhile is well-weighted on 54.5kg with Glyn Schofield riding the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained seven-year-old second-up off a close fifth in the Razor Sharp on December 16.

See below for the full Christmas Classic 2017 field, barriers, jockeys, weights and latest Randwick racing odds on the Saturday black-type courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2017 Christmas Cup Field & Betting