• 2023 The Galaxy Scratchings Update: #3 In The Congo (11) has been withdrawn. 

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Super consistent four-year-old sprint sensation Uncommon James heads up to Sydney on Saturday as favourite in 2023 The Galaxy betting at Rosehill to secure another Group 1 success.

Third-up and fit the Steven O’Dea & Matthew Hoysted-trained Brisbane galloper has been an absolute revelation for the stable winning six of his eight starts and running second in the other two so far.

His winning streak came to an end first-up on February 11 when he finished runner-up to Lofty Strike in the Group 2 Rubiton Stakes (1100m) before he atoned with a three-quarter length triumph a fortnight later in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m).

On Saturday he faces his biggest test to date on Golden Slipper Day taking on a star-studded field in the Group 1 $1 million The Galaxy (1100m) as the $4.20 favourite through Ladbrokes.com.au.

Uncommon James carried 53.5kg to victory from barrier 13 of 16 in the Oakleigh Plate and rises a kilo to 54.5kg in The Galaxy weights with Damian Lane coming aboard for the ride.

The favourite gets the run of the race from barrier four and is out to complete the interstate Oakleigh Plate -The Galaxy double for the second time in three years following on from Eduardo (2021).

Joe Pride’s now nine-year-old veteran Eduardo is back in The Galaxy 2023 field this year as an $8 shot in betting.

Eduardo is a genuine Rosehill track specialist having won four form six at The Gardens and has a super strike-rate over the 1100m distance (10:4-2-2).

He has won over $7.8 million in prize money to date and is after his first victory since the Group 3 Concorde Stakes (1000m) at Randwick last September.

The son of Host caught the eye fresh nearly saluting when narrowly denied a first-up victory in the Group 2 Challenge Stakes (1000m) crossing second in a photo behind Passive Aggressive.

The Galaxy gives him a chance to atone fitter second-up, but he has work to do from the outside barrier (13).

Pride also saddles-up Mariamia ($11) from a favourable barrier two draw with the six-year-old Toronado mare having her fourth run this prep.

Her Rosehill record is also very impressive (4:3-0-0) and includes a nearly three-length romp home here two starts back defeating Caulfield Guineas winner Golden Mile in the Group 2 Expressway Stakes (1200m) with 56.5kg.

She then had 56kg on her back when fourth here on February 18 in the Group 2 Millie Fox Stakes (1300m) just out of the money as the beaten odds-on favourite.

At longer odds on Saturday the mare is down notably in distance and will be airborne coming right back to only 51kg.

Shorter in The Galaxy odds online also on single-figures are the $7.50 co-second elects Asfoora and Remarque drawn in gates five and nine respectively.

Henry Dwyer’s in-form Flying Artie mare Asfoora has her first Rosehill run looking to add to her strong record of six wins from nine career runs.

She’s in Sydney off a nice first-up third in the Oakleigh Plate under a length beaten by Saturday’s favourite with 53kg.

A three-time winner from her four previous 1100m runs the mare will relish coming back to just 51.5kg in The Galaxy with Jye McNeil in the saddle once more.

Remarque for Team Hawkes is also getting plenty of attention with the four-year-old son of Snitzel two-from-four at Rosehill.

He is third-up this weekend and is another Challenge Stakes graduate rising in grade having run only one and a half-lengths back fourth in the key lead-up event.

At longer odds looking for an upset are the likes of the resuming Bjorn Baker-trained Rubick mare Shades Of Rose ($11) who was on fire in the spring stringing together a host of wins before her brave fourth at 30/1 in the $15 million The Everest, Tony Gollan’s seven-year-old short distance galloper Zoustyle coming off a fifth only one and a half-lengths away at 20/1 in the Oakleigh.

The Galaxy 2023 is set to run as Rosehill Race 9 at 5:20pm (AEDT) as the penultimate event on the card.

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

2023 The Galaxy Final Field & Barrier Draw

No	Last 10	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Probable Weight	Penalty	Hcp Rating
1	312x1406x2	EDUARDO	Joseph Pride	Nash Rawiller	13	59kg			117
2	211x111x21	UNCOMMON JAMES	Steven O’Dea & Matthew Hoysted	Damian Lane	4	54.5kg			108
3	x329x6272x	IN THE CONGO	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Tim Clark	11	54kg			107
4	x39x2332x5	ZOUSTYLE	Tony Gollan	Regan Bayliss	8	53kg	53.5kg		105
5	x738915x67	ROCKETING BY	David Pfieffer	Dylan Gibbons (a)	3	52.5kg			104
6	113x1711x3	ASFOORA	Henry Dwyer	Jye McNeil	5	51.5kg			106
7	x55x118x14	REMARQUE	Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes	Kerrin McEvoy	9	51.5kg	52kg		102
8	631443×114	MARIAMIA	Joseph Pride	Tyler Schiller (a)	2	51kg			105
9	1xP211118x	SHADES OF ROSE	Bjorn Baker	Ms Rachel King	10	51kg			102
10	240x2436x8	GENERATION	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Jay Ford	12	51kg			101
11	143x40x741	ANDERMATT	James Cummings	Michael Dee	7	51kg			98
12	424x126x76	KEY LARGO	Bryce Heys	Brock Ryan	6	51kg			84
13	x11x4843x1	CANNONBALL	Peter & Paul Snowden	Robbie Dolan	1	50kg			98

Table Credit: Racing Australia.