The Grant & Alana Williams-trained Inspirational Girl is clear favourite in Railway Stakes 2020 betting to continue her ultra-consistent form when the Perth Summer Racing Carnival features its opening Group 1 race at Ascot this weekend.

William Pike (pictured on Outrageous) rides the 2020 Railway Stakes favourite Inspirational Girl in Perth this weekend. Ultimate Racing Photos.

Saturday seeks the Group $1 million Railway Stakes (1600m) steal the show over in WA and it is a capacity field gathered for the popular handicap showdown set to run as Ascot Race 8 at 4:40pm local WA time.

Chasing a third win on the trot and fifth from six starts this prep, Reliable Man mare Inspirational Girl is drawn barrier 11 with William Pike – back from an outstanding Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival – booked for the ride.

Pike has ridden three Railway Stakes winners since 2013 including the past two champions saluting aboard Galaxy Star (2018) and Regal Power (2019) both also prepared by ace father-daughter training duo G & A Williams.

Pike reunites with Inspirational Girl for the first time since riding her to victory at Belmont in late July, the mare having been ridden by Chris Parnham in her three lead-up runs while Pike rode interstate.

She was last seen saluting narrowly for the punters in the Group 3 Asian Beau Stakes (1400m) defeating Too Close The Sun (2^nd) and Red Can Man (3^rd) carrying 54kg and drops to 53kg as she goes up in grade on Saturday.

Too Close The Sun franked the Asian Beau form with a runaway four length victory in last Saturday’s Listed Ascot Gold Cup (1800m).

Trainer Lindsey Smith has made the interesting move to accept for his Carlton House five-year-old in the Railway on the short back-up with Too Close The Sun to drop back in distance again despite looking like a genuine stayer.

He won the Ascot Gold Cup in the wet from barrier 13 of 13 carrying 57.5kg and has another wide draw this weekend (16) coming right back to just 53kg making him a definite light-weight danger despite likely wanting further in distance.

Inspirational Girl sits top of the Railway Stakes odds at $3.50 through Ladbrokes.com.au, while Too Close The Sun is at $6.50.

Between those two at a current quote of $5.50 is Neville Parnham’s Group 2 Lee Steere Stakes winner Kay Cee.

The four-year-old Playing Gold mare was impressive taking out the key lead-up on November 7 and has been kept fresh in the three weeks since as she chases a second Group 1 victory after her Kingston Town Classic (1800m) win last December.

Rounding out the single figure fancies in the first Group 1 of the summer is the consistent Red Can Man ($7.50) who ran third in the Asian Beau and second in the Lee Steere.

Of the double-figure fancies the most likely to score the upset look to be the airborne G & A Williams-trained Truly Great ($11) coming off fourth straight wins following his Group 3 RJ Peters victory last Saturday but drawn right out in gate 18 (into 14), and the Godolphin-raced topweight Kementari ($11) at the opposite end of the field in barrier one who ran third in the Lee Steere last time out.

Click here for the latest 2020 Railway Stakes betting odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2020 Railway Stakes Field & Barriers

Table Credit: Racing Australia.