A host of potential Sydney Cup horses do battle at Rosehill Gardens this Saturday in the Sky High Stakes 2018, betting for which is a wide open affair.

Stampede is the narrow early favourite in 2018 Sky High Stakes betting for the Sydney Cup lead-up at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

One of the early features on the Coolmore Classic Day, this season’s lucrative Group 3 $350,000 Sky High Stakes (2000m) is set to run as Rosehill Race 2 at 12:55pm (AEDT).

The Sky High Stakes field attracted just nine stayers, many of which are heading towards an April 14 run at Royal Randwick during ‘The Championships’ in the Group 1 $2 million Sydney Cup (3200m) over the two miles.

Current favourite in the Sky High Stakes odds at Ladbrokes.com.au paying $3 to return to winning form is the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained High Chaparral entire Stampede.

Boasting an outstanding record over the distance (4:2-0-1), the five-year-old hasn’t won since last September but looks on the improve fitness-wise after two lead-up Randwick runs this time in.

His latest produced a distant fifth to Winx in the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m), a race that produced last year’s Sky High Stakes winner Tavago (5^th in 2017).

Stampede is a $34 chance in pre-field Sydney Cup odds for next month and is dropping in class from the Chipping Norton as well as getting back out over a more suitable distance this weekend making him a livewire chance.

Occupying the second line of Sky High Stakes betting this Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival at $3.90 is one of the three Chris Waller-trained chances in the race, Libran.

Being kept safe in futures Sydney Cup betting at $13 having been competitive in the two mile classic before, the Lawman seven-year-old is also a Chipping Norton Stakes graduate having run a nice first-up fourth.

Libran is a 2000m specialist with four wins from seven starts over the distance and is also three-from-five second-up.

The former European hasn’t won since the Group 3 Kingston Town Classic (2000m) last September but has been competitive in plenty since and any rain around will only improve his winning chances.

Waller also saddles-up the $6 third favourite Mackintosh and the veteran nine-year-old Who Shot Thebarman ($12) who could prove the value in the mix.

Tye Angland rides Pins five-year-old Mackintosh who is out to atone for a first-up 10^th to Crack Me Up in the Group 3 Liverpool City Cup (1300m) from March 3.

He will be better over this distance and also comes back from 58kg to 56.5kg at set weights plus penalties on Saturday.

Who Shot Thebarman is heading towards his fifth Sydney Cup, the always-honest former Kiwi second-up after a sixth in the Chipping Norton at triple-figures and can run a better race than the odds suggest.

Rounding out the single-figure hopes meanwhile are Richard Freedman’s French import Auvray ($8) and the early market mover Salsamor ($8.50) from the stables of Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young who is also accepted for the Group 2 Alister Clark Stakes (2040m) at Moonee Valley on Friday night with a decision pending on what race he contests.

Check out the full Sky High Stakes 2018 field and odds below, betting open now at Ladbrokes.com.au.

2018 Sky High Stakes Field & Betting