The Hobartville Stakes 2021 is the feature race in Sydney this weekend and it is a battle between the in-form local Peltzer and visiting Kiwi Aegon in the Rosehill Gardens showdown.

There are 11 remaining runners in the Group 2 $400,000 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) field after the early withdrawal of the rails-drawn Prague and it is his last start conqueror, Peltzer, installed as the narrow favourite.

Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou’s consistent So You Think colt has won six of his nine career starts having completed the Group 2 Stan Fox Stakes – Bondi Stakes double at Randwick last time in before another first-up win at Randwick.

On February 6 Peltzer carried 59kg to victory in the Group 3 Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m) and he drops to 56.5kg at set weights in the Hobartville on the weekend.

Drawn well in barrier five, the galloper is at $3.60 in the latest Hobartville Stakes odds through Ladbrokes.com.au to break his Rosehill hoodoo.

Peltzer has had three starts at the track for just the one placing, but the bookies are taking no chances this weekend.

The big danger and close $3.80 second elect is the Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman-trained New Zealand raider Aegon.

Jockey Hugh Bowman has an outstanding record in the Hobartville Stakes having enjoyed four previous victories aboard: Outback Prince (2005), Mutawaajid (2007), Hallowed Crown (2015) and Press Statement (2016).

He chases a fifth win on the weekend partnering unbeaten Sacred Falls gelding Aegon who is four-from-four back home across the Tasman.

Winner of the Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas over the mile last November, he resumed at Ellerslie on January 23 and took out the Karaka Million despite getting held up late ahead of his trip to Sydney.

Better for the run and suited to the 1400m second-up, Aegon looks a big chance to beat the locals in the three-years-old feature, but co-trainer Baker still needs convincing.

“Aegon is a pretty good young horse but he has to make the step up,” Baker told The Daily Telegraph.

“It’s a bit harder in Australia than it is at home. This race is a bit of a learning curve but I hope he is up to it.”

Baker is a master trainer of three-year-old stayers having won the Group 1 Australian Derby (2400m) on five occasions with: Quick Thinker (2020), Jon Snow (2017), Mongolian Khan (2015), Dundeel (2013) and Nom De Jeu (2008).

He is yet to trainer a Hobartville Stakes winner however with the last New Zealand-trained horse to take it out being Lord Silver Man (1977) when the event was run in the spring.

In a tight Hobartville Stakes betting market, the popular third fancy at $4.20 and firming is the Hawkes Racing-trained North Pacific to be ridden by James McDonald.

A nicely-bred son of Brazen Beau, the Group 3 winning colt was runner-up behind Ole Kirk in Rosehill’s Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m) here last September.

The form of the Golden Rose was franked when the winner travelled to Melbourne and won the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas over a miler, while North Pacific went out for a break.

He resumed at the start of the month finishing a distant fourth three lengths off Peltzer in the Eskimo Prince, but looks a huge home to bounce back out over more distance at Rosehill on the weekend.

Of the double-figure hopefuls the big Hobartville Stakes market mover backed right in from $20 to $11 is the Chris Waller-trained The Elanora looking to extend his winning streak to four straight.

Waller chases a third Hobartville victory having prepared Press Statement (2016) and The Autumn Sun (2019) for their victories.

Last December on Boxing Day The Elanora won the Group 3 Grand Prix Stakes over 2200m in Brisbane and resumes racing this weekend on his way to the ATC Derby during ‘The Championships’.

Click here for latest Hobartville Stakes 2021 betting odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2021 Hobartville Stakes Field & Barriers

No	Last 10	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Probable Weight	Penalty	Hcp Rating
1	111×1	AEGON (NZ)	Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman	Hugh Bowman	4	56.5kg			102
2	x911x7390x	KING’S LEGACY	Peter & Paul Snowden	Jason Collett	12	56.5kg			102
3	3x1132x4	NORTH PACIFIC	Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes	James McDonald	9	56.5kg			100
4	11x24511x1	PELTZER	Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou	Tim Clark	5	56.5kg			96
5	21x71222x2	PRIME STAR	Richard & Michael Freedman	Jean Van Overmeire (a)	13	56.5kg			94
6	16162x48x3	PRAGUE	Annabel Neasham	(late alt)	1	56.5kg			90
7	1x2112x	LION’S ROAR (NZ)	John O’Shea	Brenton Avdulla	3	56.5kg			86
8	712111	THE ELANORA	Chris Waller	Nash Rawiller	7	56.5kg			84
9	x224x285x7	GLOBAL QUEST	Annabel Neasham	Joshua Parr	11	56.5kg			78
10	222×1	WHEELHOUSE	Chris Waller	Sam Clipperton	6	56.5kg			69
11	5184×5244	BLACK DUKE	Richard Litt	Tom Sherry (a)	10	56.5kg			68
12	x3121245x4	EASY CAMPESE	John Sargent	Regan Bayliss	2	56.5kg			68
13	132x	HIGH SUPREMACY (NZ)	Richard & Michael Freedman	Ms Rachel King	8	56.5kg			68

Table Credit: Racing Australia.