Saturday’s 2020 Missile Stakes favourite Melody Belle has drawn out wide in barrier 11 of 13 for the Group 2 feature at Rosehill Gardens.

Melody Belle leads betting on Saturday’s Group 2 Missile Stakes in Sydney. Photo: Steve Hart.

Set to run as Race 7 at 3:35pm (local time), this season’s Group 2 $200,000 Iron Jack Missile Stakes (1200m) features a star-studded field led in betting by 10-time Group 1 winning Kiwi mare Melody Belle.

The Jamie Richards-trained daughter of Commands chases her first victory since taking her elite level wins into double-digits when saluting in Flemington’s Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) during the Melbourne Cup Carnival last November.

That remains her sole Group 1 win down under, but the now six-year-old has been competitive in plenty since including running third in the $5 million All-Star Mile (1600m) in mid-March.

She was also only 1.4 lengths beaten in the wet at Randwick on April 4 when fourth in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) and was last seen placing sixth a week later on the quick back-up into the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).

Melody Belle looked solid in a recent winning hit-out at Randwick’s Kensington track over 850m run on a Heavy (9) late last month, and has a strong first-up record of three wins and three thirds from seven fresh runs.

She could need the run on Saturday however before hitting her peak over further later in the spring and is yet to race at the Rosehill track.

Still, the $3.4 million earner sits top of the Missile Stakes odds at $3.60 through Ladbrokes.com.au despite drawing out wide for jockey Kerrin McEvoy.

Occupying the second line of Missile Stakes betting is the early market mover, the Joe Pride-trained Eduardo backed in from $6 to $4.60 after a gun barrier two draw.

Jockey Nash Rawiller partners Pride’s in-form Host seven-year-old who boats the fitness edge over a number of his resuming rivals having won the July Sprint (1100m) at the track on July 25.

He comes back from 58.5kg that run to 56kg for the Group 2 on Saturday and is undefeated on Soft – Heavy going, which looks a plus with the Rosehill course proper rated a Heavy (8) at the time of final acceptances.

Out to hand the famous Godolphin stable with back-to-back wins following the success of odds-on favourite Alizee in 2019 is the fellow James Cummings-trained Flit who is the $6 third favourite.

Drawn the inside alley for her four-year-old debut, the classy Medaglia D’Oro mare is best known for her Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) success at Caulfield in October last year.

She won first-up in the autumn at Randwick defeating the fellow Godolphin-raced fillies Lyre (2^nd) and Kiamichi (3^rd) in the Group 2 Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) and was last seen running a devastatingly close second in the Group 2 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint (1200m) back in April.

The Arrowfield was run on a Heavy (8) track and Flit seemed to handle the going well, and she is yet to finish out of the money first-up (3:1-1-1) ahead of the Missile on the weekend.

Jockey James McDonald won the Missile Stakes two years back aboard the Gregory Hickman-trained Pierata (2018) and is after another success on Flit in 2020.

Also lining-up in the Royal Blue for the stable in this year’s Missile Stakes field are roughie hope Cascadian ($26) out in gate 12 and the better-fancied Savatiano ($6.50) in barrier five.

Savatiano shapes-up as a nice value hope in the event with the gun gate and nice 55.5kg weight.

Rachel King rides the consistent Street Cry mare first-up with Savatiano boasting a strong record fresh (7:4-0-1).

She won the Group 2 Millie Fox Stakes (1300m) at the Rosehill track in February before her second in the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m).

Unplaced in three subsequent starts, her last start sixth in Adelaide’s Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) was credible and she’s been brought on with a winning trial in the wet at Kensington last month.

Rounding out the single-figure fancies at $9.50 is the Kris Lees-trained Special Reward last seen posting back-to-back Group 3 wins on Soft Sydney tracks in the autumn.

Click here for the full Missile Stakes 2020 betting odds and updates courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2020 Missile Stakes Field & Barriers

Table Credit: Racing Australia.