Joseph O’Brien’s Irish raider Cleveland remains clear favourite in Sydney Cup 2023 betting on the two-mile classic this weekend despite drawing out wide with barrier 17.

Tancred Stakes winner Arapaho looks to hold out the international stayers again in Saturday’s 2023 Sydney Cup field. Photo: Steve Hart.

A capacity 20 starters take to the Royal Randwick track on Day 2 of The Championships in the Group 1 $2 million Schweppes Sydney Cup (3200m).

It may be a bumper field of stayers, but Sydney Cup odds are firmly led by just one horse with Cleveland dominating the markets at $3.50 through Ladbrokes.com.au.

Jockey Kerrin McEvoy chases his third Sydney Cup victory since 2002 following previous victories aboard Honor Babe (2003) and Gallante (2016).

Five-year-old Camelot entire Cleveland is second-up down under last seen running an eye-catching fifth in his Australian debut when only two lengths off Arapaho in Rosehill’s Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) on March 25 with improvement to come.

He comes back from 59kg at WFA in that mile-and-a-half showdown to just 51kg in the Sydney Cup weights, and the dour stayer is sure to eat-up the extra distance with winning form in Europe at to 3749m.

There may be a capacity field, but just one other runner is currently under double-figures at Sydney Cup odds of $9 with the fellow O’Brien-trained raider Baron Samedi considered the danger in the extreme outside alley (20).

The Harbour Watch six-year-old is a winner of seven of his 19 starts to date and is another proven stayer already boasting a previous win over the two-mile Sydney Cup distance.

He was last seen running second on Heavy going at The Curragh in a 3219m event last October with 61kg and looks a shot fresh in Australia with 55kg for his return to racing.

Occupying the third line of Sydney Cup betting as the best-fancied of the Australian-trained horses is the Mark Newnham-trained King Frankel ($10).

The nicely-bred Frankel five-year-old has been racing well in good company this preparation including his last start third in the Tancred Stakes at double-figures with 59kg.

He will be flying back to the 50kg light-weight for his first two-mile test on the weekend and has apprentice Tyler Schiller continuing associations against the international favourites.

Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott saddle-up the defending Sydney Cup winner Knights Order who returns looking to go back-to-back in the time-honoured clash for the first time since Tie The Knot (1998-1999).

The son of So You Think is a dual 3200m winner having also won the Group 2 Brisbane Cup over the distance back in 2021 and is rated a $17 shot for his title defence on the weekend.

A proven mudlark he relished a bottomless Heavy (10) Randwick track to carrying 51.5kg to a two length Sydney Cup victory last autumn.

Knights Order, third in the Caulfield Cup during the spring in Melbourne, goes up to 56.5kg on Saturday with Tim Clark to ride from barrier 12 on another likely wet track.

The reigning Melbourne Cup champion Gold Trip chases the interstate double and is paying $11 through Ladbrokes.com.au for the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace stable.

James McDonald rides the six-year-old son of Outstrip who comes off a seventh in the Tancred and pays $11 for Saturday’s event.

Mourayan (58kg in 2013) was the last Sydney Cup winner to carry more than 55kg to victory, and Gold Trip will have work to do with the 59.5kg top-weight this weekend.

Other notable Sydney Cup horses this year include Maher & Eustace’s Melbourne Cup third-placed mare High Emocean ($11), the in-form John Sargent-trained Epona Stakes winning mare Gin Martini ($11), the in-form Bjorn Baker-trained Tancred Stakes champ Arapaho ($13) chasing his third win on the trot, and Chris Waller’s Group 2 Chairman’s Quality winner from last weekend on the quick back-up Surefire ($15).

Click here for the full 2023 Sydney Cup betting odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2023 Sydney Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw

Table Credit: Racing Australia.