Group 1 racing in 2018 kicks off on Saturday at Caulfield Racecourse with the Ladbrokes C.F. Orr Stakes, a comprehensive form guide analysis and betting preview on the weight-for-age feature detailed below.

Black Heart Bart is the genuine track and distance specialist in the 2018 Ladbrokes C.F. Orr Stakes field this weekend at Caulfield. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

Running as Race 8 at 4:45pm (AEDT), this autumn’s Group 1 $500,000 Ladbrokes C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) field is full of depth with 14 gun gallopers led in betting by the Darren Weir-trained Tosen Stardom ($4.80).

Weir saddles-up three single-figure fancies in CF Orr Stakes betting at Ladbrokes.com.au having won the race 12 months ago with Black Heart Bart.

Chasing a maiden win since last autumn’s Futurity Stakes, Black Heart Bart is a $6.50 chance second-up on the weekend to go back-to-back in the CF Orr Stakes.

Stablemate Tosen Stardom meanwhile is the punters’ pick in the Ladbrokes CF Orr Stakes odds despite the dual Group 1 winning Japanese expat having the outside barrier (14) to overcome.

The Weir runners are rounded out by another former Japanese-trained runner Brave Smash ($8.50) who was third in The Everest in Sydney last spring before the flat first-up Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) fifth.

Also under $10 for the win are the likes of gun Godolphin galloper Hartnell ($5.50), the Chris Waller-trained Kennedy Mile winning mare Shillelagh ($8) who is the early market mover and Anthony Freedman’s Australia Stakes runner-up Mr Sneaky ($9).

That’s the story told by the bookies but to uncover any value in the markets below we go over the full Ladbrokes CF Orr Stakes 2018 form facts, betting history and statistics before you place your bets at Ladbrokes.com.au.

2018 Ladbrokes CF Orr Stakes Form Facts & Betting Stats

• Last year’s CF Orr Stakes winner was the Darren Weir-trained Black Heart Bart (2017) who backed up from an Australia Stakes second to salute from barrier 11 (of 12) with Brad Rawiller aboard the $3.20 favourite
• #2 Black Heart Bart ($6.50) is back chasing successive CF Orr Stakes victories for the first time since the ill-fated mare Typhoon Tracy (2010-11)
• Last year’s winning trainer Weir also saddles-up #3 Tosen Stardom ($4.80) and #4 Brave Smash ($8.50) looking to prepare successive winners for the first time since Peter Moody (2014-15) who also won with the aforementioned Typhoon Tracy (2010-11) and the superstar Black Caviar (2012)
• The other previous CF Orr Stakes winning trainers (since 1984) with a starter on Saturday are: David Hayes with #8 Thronum ($11) and Mick Price with #14 Mighty Boss ($14)
• Last year’s winning jockey Brad Rawiller is back aboard #2 Black Heart Bart
• The other previous CF Orr Stakes winning jockeys (since 1984) with a ride this weekend are: Damien Oliver who chases a third aboard #5 Lord Of The Sky ($34) and four-time winning hoop Luke Nolen who rides #12 Abbey Marie ($41)

• The Australia Stakes has produced five of the past seven CF Orr Stakes winners with the double last completed by Black Caviar (2012)
• #8 Thronum is after the Australia Stakes – CF Orr Stakes double in 2018
• The other Australia Stakes graduates backing-up from an Australia Stakes run this autumn are: Mr Sneaky (2^nd) and Brave Smash (5^th)

• Favourites have saluted in seven of the past eight editions of the race from 2010-2017; #3 Tosen Stardom ($4.80) is favourite in CF Orr Stakes betting looking to continue the trend this weekend
• Mares have beaten home the boys in the CF Orr Stakes results four times since 2010 most recently Suavito (2016); the mares in the line-up this year are: #10 Single Gaze, #11 Shillelagh, #12 Abbey Marie and #13 Jester Halo
• #1 Hartnell, #2 Black Heart Bart, #3 Tosen Stardom and #5 Lord Of The Sky are all out to be the first seven-year-old CF Orr Stakes winner since Torbek (1983)
• All Too Hard (2013) is the only three-year-old to win the race since six saluted on the trot from 1998-2003; returning Caulfield Guineas winner #14 Mighty Boss is the sole three-year-old in the CF Orr Stakes field this year
• The highest Win Rate of the field belongs to: #8 Thronum (50%) and #9 Dollar For Dollar (50%) followed by #6 Tshahitsi (46%) and #13 Jester Halo (46%)
• The best Place Rate of the field belongs to #7 Mr Sneaky (81%) followed by #8 Thronum (80%), #2 Black Heart Bart (72%) and #9 Dollar For Dollar (71%)
• The runners with the best winning Caulfield track record are: #2 Black Heart Bart (9:5-2-1), #5 Lord Of The Sky (14:6-0-0) and #7 Mr Sneaky (4:2-1-0)
• The runners with the best winning strike-rate over the distance (1400m) are: #2 Black Heart Bart (15:8-5-1), #6 Tshahitsi (12:8-0-1), #9 Dollar For Dollar (6:4-1-1), #13 Jester Halo (6:3-2-0) and #11 Shillelagh (8:2-1-1)

Stay tuned for our insider CF Orr Stakes 2018 tips, checking out the full race form guide below in the meantime courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.