Phillip Stokes’ ultra-consistent four-year-old Ancestry is tipped as the sprinter to beat first-up in Saturday’s 2021 Oakleigh Plate field at Caulfield Racecourse as part of the Blue Diamond Stakes Day action.

A bumper line-up of 18 short-distance specialists face off in this season’s Group 1 $500,000 Neds Oakleigh Plate (1100m) and all the money is on The Brothers War gelding Ancestry to extend his winning streak to five on the trot.

He was in flying form last prep including a last start Flemington victory in the Listed Century Stakes (1000m) during the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

He’s been brought-on fitness-wise with two recent trials and has a strong two-from-three record at Caulfield ahead of not only his Group race debut on the weekend.

It may be a notable rise in grade and genuine acid test for Ancestry in the Oakleigh Plate, the progressive galloper drawn in barrier four with Michael Poy to ride, but the bookies are taking no chances.

Current Oakleigh Plate odds online at Ladbrokes.com.au have the favourite at $5.50 and Ancestry looks made for this event carrying just 53.5kg.

First-up at the track last prep he carted 58kg to victory so should be flying fresh on Saturday with less weight.

Occupying the second line of Oakleigh Plate betting are two equal $8 chances with the early market mover Celebrity Queen ($8) and the widely-drawn Anders ($8) out in gate 17.

Premier Perth jockey William Pike partners the Grant & Alana Williams-trained WA raider Celebrity Queen with the talented Redoute’s Choice mare having her first interstate start this weekend.

She’s built an excellent record at home with six wins and four seconds from her 12 starts, including a Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes second in late November.

Heading to the big city, Celebrity Queen has had a recent trial and has an undefeated first-up record having won all three runs fresh to date.

Anders will need luck from that outside alley, but the Not A Single Doubt colt still has claims for a first-up win carrying just 50kg with Glen Boss to ride.

The gun three-year-old is a genuine short-distance horse with four wins from five starts over the 1100m and is looking to atone for his dead last in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) down the straight at Flemington on Derby Day.

Better suited to Caulfield and the 1100m, Anders comes off a four-length winning trial at Geelong, but will need to be good against this field from that gate.

Despite the size of the Oakleigh Plate field, just one other runner is at single-figures for the win with the rails-drawn Dirty Work ($9.50) for Hawkes Racing.

The four-year-old Written Tycoon entire is also a short-distance specialist at 1100m (11:5-1-2) including his narrow Group 2 Schillaci Stakes (1100m) victory at the track and distance last October.

Backed-up from that and was far from disgraced when third, under a length beaten at The Valley in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m).

Carried 58.5kg in that Group 1 and has 57kg on Saturday, so remains a chance in field of lighter-weighted runners.

Of the double-figure runners the one tipped most likely for an upset is the 58kg topweight Zoutori ($11).

The Zoustar five-year-old enjoyed back-to-back Group 2 wins at Flemington down the iconic ‘Straight Six’ last time in and was last seen finishing fourth to Bivouac in the Group 1 VRC Classic (1200m).

A good first-up performer (7:4-1-1), Zoutori also has the flying Jamie Kah continuing associations on Saturday.

Click here for the latest Oakleigh Plate 2021 betting odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2021 Oakleigh Plate Field & Barriers

No	Last 10	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Penalty	Hcp Rating
1	x2400x114x	ZOUTORI	Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra	Ms Jamie Kah	7	58kg		109
2	8111x3413x	DIRTY WORK	Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes	Kerrin McEvoy	1	57kg		107
3	x8x35311x2	KEMALPASA	Richard & Chantelle Jolly	Damian Lane	10	57kg		107
4	x160x5528x	STANDOUT	Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou	Damien Oliver	15	55.5kg		104
5	x11133x0x6	MIZZY	Anthony Cummings	Mark Zahra	16	54.5kg		106
6	1114x1111x	ANCESTRY	Phillip Stokes	Michael Poy	4	53.5kg		100
7	611x12122x	CELEBRITY QUEEN	Grant & Alana Williams	William Pike	3	53.5kg		104
8	8x466633x2	BOLD STAR	Gordon Richards	Patrick Moloney	12	52.5kg		98
9	x535x1344x	BROOKLYN HUSTLE	Jason Warren & Dean Krongold	Jye McNeil	14	52kg		100
10	212x5462x3	GARNER	Gordon Richards	Daniel Moor	2	52kg		95
11	1118x120x6	HOW WOMANTIC	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Lachlan Neindorf (a)	11	52kg		89
12	825x3352x1	PROPHET’S THUMB	Anthony & Sam Freedman	Dean Yendall	13	52kg		100
13	121×412153	RIDING THE WAVE	Lindsey Smith	Will Price (a)	8	52kg		86
14	11233×1127	SWORD OF MERCY	Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra	Dean Holland	6	52kg		90
15	1541×01	PORTLAND SKY	Matt Laurie	Teodore Nugent (a)	5	50kg		95
16	x1120x492x	HANSEATIC	Anthony & Sam Freedman	Damien Thornton	18	50kg		92
17	23x25318x	RANTING (NZ)	Leon & Troy Corstens	Michael Dee	9	50kg		91
18	x211x1130x	ANDERS	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Glen Boss	17	50kg		90

Table Credit: Racing Australia.