Locally-trained heroes Behemoth and Gytrash are battling for favouritism in the markets for Saturday’s The Goodwood 2021 in Adelaide with the Group 1 sprint attracting a star-studded field of 11.

Behemoth is favourite in a quality 2021 The Goodwood field in Adelaide this weekend. Photo: Jenny Barnes.

Set to run as Morphettville Race 8 at 4:16pm (ACST), this autumn’s Group 1 $502,250 The Furphy Goodwood (1200m) shapes up as a two-horse battle according to the bookies and punters.

Narrowly leading the post-field The Goodwood betting markets at $3.60 through Ladbrokes.com.au is the David Jolly-trained All Too Hard five-year-old Behemoth.

Boasting an outstanding Morphettville record of four wins and three seconds from nine starts, the $2.5 million earner has drawn ideally in gate six first-up.

A first-up flyer (7:4-2-0), Behemoth will be ridden by Craig Williams on the weekend with the hoop chasing his second The Goodwood win after his 2017 success aboard Vega Magic.

Williams partnered Behemoth last start when the gelding ran a brave third to Mugatoo at The Valley on March 13 in the $5 million The All-Star Mile (1600m).

Back home over 1200m fresh, he looks a huge chance to return to winning form and salute for the the first time since Williams rode him for an impressive win with 60kg in Caulfield’s Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) last September.

Saturday will be Behemoth’s third shot at The Goodwood title following his second to Despatch in 2019 and a fourth behind Trekking in last year’s edition.

The danger and close second elect at very close The Goodwood odds of $3.80 is then the fellow South Australian-trained Gytrash for Gordon Richards.

A winner of over $3 million in stakes, the Lope De Vega five-year-old has had 10 runs at Morphettville and has finished out of the money at the track just once (10:3-3-3).

He finished second in last year’s The Goodwood results narrowly beaten by the Godolphin-raced winner after a huge run from a wide barrier (12 of 14).

Gytrash returns drawn to win this carnival in gate four with Jason Collett continuing his successful association.

Collett has ridden the horse for his past three runs including a Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1000m) win at Randwick last September over Nature Strip and a third in last year’s $15 million The Everest (1200m).

Gytrash hasn’t raced since saluting on a Heavy (9) Rosehill track last October in the $1 million Winners Stakes (1300m), but has a very strong first-up record (6:4-2-0) and looks well placed on Saturday.

Outside of the dominant duo the other two single-figure hopefuls to take out The Goodwood in 2021 are in-form youngster Beau Rossa ($6.50) and classy filly Instant Celebrity ($7.50).

The Will Clarken-trained Beau Rossa is a three-year-old son of Unencumbered who is undefeated at Morphettville.

He’s coming off a strong lead-up campaign in easier grade having run second in Caulfield’s VOBIS Sires’ Guineas (1600m) before a last start Morphettville win in the Group 2 Tobin Bronze Stakes (formerly the Euclase) over the same track and distance as The Goodwood.

He carted 57.5kg to victory from barrier two that day and comes down to 55.5kg in gate eight for the Group 1 looking to do the uncommon double.

Instant Celebrity has the outside alley to overcome in The Goodwood field (11 of 11) with the airborne Ms Jamie Kah to partner the Phillip Stokes-trained Not A Single Doubt filly.

She has won three from four at the track after saluting in the Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) on May 1.

A Group 2 winner in Caulfield and third in last yeare’s Thousand Guineas (1600m), Instant Celebrity was good against her own sex in the Sangster and is now out to complete the Group 1 Morphettville double for the first time since  Platelet (2013).

Click here for the latest The Goodwood 2021 betting odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2021 The Goodwood Field & Barriers

   Table Credit: Racing Australia.