Chris Waller’s airborne seven-year-old Durston is clear favourite to keep the wins coming in Saturday’s 2022 The Metropolitan field at Royal Randwick.

Chris Waller’s in-form stayer Durston is favourite to post another win this weekend in the 2022 The Metropolitan. Photo: Steve Hart.

Waller chases his fifth success in the Group 1 $750,000 The Metropolitan (2400m) and saddles-up seven of the 15 runners in this year’s field.

His latest victories in the mile and a half feature came back-to-back with Patrick Erin (2018) and Come Play With Me (2019).

Of the Waller contingent, Durston is the best fancied heading The Metropolitan betting markets at $3.60 through Ladbrokes.com.au.

The Sea The Moon gelding, formerly with the Maher/Eustace stable, comes off back-to-back wins this campaign by a combined margin of over four lengths.

Two back he won the Listed Wyong Cup (2100m) before a big victory in the Group 3 Newcastle Golde Cup (2300m) on September 16.

He drops back from 55.5kg to 53kg, even with his 2kg penalty and jumps from a midfield gate eight draw with Kerrin McEvoy riding.

Waller’s other shortest-priced hope in the markets at $8 is the widely-drawn Surefire in barrier 13.

The Fastnet Rock five-year-old has won five of his 11 starts and comes off back-to-back fifths at the track, the latest behind Alegron in the Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m), with improvement likely getting up to the mile and a half.

Also representing Waller in this year’s The Metropolitan field are No Compromise ($13), Hameron ($17), Chalk Stream ($19), the rails-drawn Queensland Derby winner  Kukeracha ($41) and Francesco Guardi ($14) in the outside alley.

The other single-figure chance in the markets meanwhile is the Joe Pride-trained 56.5kg topweight Stockman ($7.50).

Stockman is a six-year-old son of Tavistock chasing his first win since the Group 3 Sky High Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill back in March.

He was good next-up after that when second to Duais in Newcastle’s Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) and is fourth-up and fit this weekend off a fourth in the Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m).

Other notable hopes in the mix include the winter’s runaway Caloundra Cup winner Le Don De Vie ($12) to be ridden by James McDonald from gate three, the fellow Maher/Eustace-trained Mankayan ($13) coming off a Newcastle Cup fifth and the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Grove Ferry ($13) on the quick back-up off his Group 3 Colin Stephen Quality win last weekend.

The notable omission from The Metropolitan final field was John O’Shea’s classy four-year-old Benaud who was second favourite in all-in markets.

The ATC Derby runner-up and last start Kingston Town Stakes second placed grey was a forced non-acceptor after being accidently treated with a prohibited substance on Tuesday morning.

“Mr O’Shea has informed Stewards that Benaud was inadvertently treated with a medication this morning containing a prohibited substance and therefore is unable to compete in the event,” NSW stewards reported.

Click here for the latest The Metropolitan 2022 betting markets courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2022 The Metropolitan Final Field & Barrier Draw

Table Credit: Racing Australia.