Plenty of eyes will be on Sandown in Race 6 on Saturday with the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained Melbourne Cup champion Gold Trip kicking off his autumn in the 2023 Peter Young Stakes.

Melbourne Cup champion Gold Trip races first-up for the autumn in Saturday’s 2023 Peter Young Stakes. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

The Group 2 $300,000 Peter Young Stakes (1800m) takes place on the Ladbrokes Park Hillside circuit as one of the key support acts on the Blue Diamond Stakes Day card in Melbourne.

The field is down to 10 with the early scratching of the Chris Waller-trained No Compromise (10) and Gold Trip will jump from a mid-field gate five draw with Mark Zahra in the saddle.

Zahra was the lucky hoop to partner the Outstrip entire on the first Tuesday of November when Gold Trip carried 57.5kg to victory in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) in an upset.

The six-year-old now resumes at weight-for-age in the Peter Young Stakes and is heading betting at $3.10 through Ladbrokes.com.au.

Gold Trip has had six first-up runs to date without at win, but he looks well placed here in Group 2 company with improvement to come over further.

The danger occupying the second line of Peter Young Stakes betting at $4.40 is the early market mover Emissary resuming in gate two for trainer Michael Moroney.

The Kingman six-year-old has an excellent first-up record (5:2-2-1) and was last seen running two lengths back second to Gold Trip in the Melbourne Cup 2022 results.

He carried just 51.5kg in the ‘race that stops a nation’ and meets Gold Trip equal on 59kg in the rematch making his task a tough one even fresh from the good gate with Blake Shinn aboard.

In an open market a further three horses are at single-figure Peter Young Stakes odds this season including the $6 third elect Surefire for Chris Waller.

Waller won the Peter Young back in 2013 with Foreteller and looks in with a genuine hope this year with Surefire second-up boasting the fitness edge.

The Fastnet Rock gelding is only lightly-raced having won six of his 15 starts to date and has a good second-up strike rate (4:2-1-0) ahead of the Group 2 this weekend.

He was runner-up To Emissary in the Group 3 Geelong Cup (2400m) last October before winning Flemington’s Group 3 Archer Stakes (2500m) on Derby Day.

Surefire resumed against Godolphin gun Anamoe in Sydney’s Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) on February 11 running eighth under four lengths beaten at 40/1.

He will improve off that in Melbourne this weekend going straight up to the 1800m at Sandown over another encounter with Anamoe in Sydney’s Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) also taking place on Saturday at Randwick.

Rounding out the Peter Young Stakes hopefuls under double-figures are a stablemate to the favourite Steinem ($8.50) to be ridden fresh by John Allen and the Annabel Neasham-trained stayer Numerian ($9).

Consistent Frankel mare Steinem is back in Melbourne after finishing off her 2022 campaign over in WA when third in the Group 1 Northerly Stakes (1800m) behind Amelia’s Jewel and runner-up in the Group 2 Ted Van Heemst Stakes (2400m) at Ascot.

It’s been a while between drinks with her latest win being in the Group 3 Summoned Stakes (1600m) at Caulfield in November of 2021 but she is proven at the track and goes well fresh.

Click here for the latest Peter Young Stakes 2023 betting odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2023 Peter Young Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw

Table Credit: Racing Australia.