English import Home Of The Brave and the in-form Voodoo Lad are joint favourites at Ladbrokes.com.au for the 2018 Group 3 $150,000 Aurie’s Star Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday.

The early scratching of Rich Charm has reduced the Aurie’s Star Handicap field to nine and has taken some of the interest out of a very competitive running of the Group 3 race.

Early betting for the Aurie’s Star Handicap at Ladbrokes.com.au has the James Cummings trained Home Of The Brave and Darren Weir’s Voodoo Lad sharing favouritism at $3.60 just ahead of the German import Poetic Dream at $4.40 and Team Snowden’s Brave Song at $5.50.

The Godolphin owned Home Of The Brave will be having his first outing for trainer James Cummings and has performed well in the lead up to his initial Australian start with a win and a second in two recent barrier trials at Rosehill and Randwick.

Home Of The Brave has drawn barrier two with Damian Lane to ride while Voodoo Lad with Damien Oliver in the saddle will now jump from gate six.

The Snowden Racing Team of Peter and Paul Snowden are testing the waters with Brave Song who is stepping up to the Group 3 company in the Aurie’s Star Handicap after winning an 1100m Handicap down the Flemington straight on July 21.

Regan Bayliss will ride Brave Song who has drawn barrier eight in the original draw but will now move in one spot for the scamper down the Flemington straight.

Poetic Dream will be having his second Australian start for the Lindsay Park Racing Team of David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig and will be loaded into gate eight with Jordan Childs on top.

The five year old import was beaten just over a length at his only start on Australian soil when fifth to Nozomi in the Group 3 $150,000 Autumn Handicap (1400m) at Flemington on March 3 but surprised the stable when he blitzed his opposition in a recent Flemington jump out with the blinkers on.

Lindsay Park co-trainer Ben Hayes said on that performance it was decided that Poetic Dream would wear the blinkers in the Aurie’s Star Handicap.

“He looks to be going really well. He has had three trials leading into this,” Ben Hayes said.

“In particular his trial here at Flemington, which was his middle trial with the blinkers on he really flew and we just trialled him down the straight last week without the blinkers on, he went well but not as well as with the blinkers.”

“He is a horse that improves a lot when the blinkers are applied so we are going to apply the blinkers for the Aurie’s Star and have him nice and fresh for the race.”