The money is coming for the classy Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained mare Bella Nipotina to return to Group 1 winning form as the favourite for Saturday’s Robert Sangster Stakes 2023 in Adelaide.

Elite level racing in South Australia continues on the weekend at Morphettville Racecourse with a strong field of female gallopers gathered for this year’s Group 1 $502,250 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m).

Heading the field and latest Robert Sangster Stakes odds online at $3.90 through Ladbrokes.com.au is Bella Nipotina drawn a treat in gate five with Ben Melham continuing associations.

The five-year-old daughter of Pride Of Dubai has had three previous runs at the Morphettville track without success, but the punters are tipping that to change this weekend.

She ran fifth in last year’s Robert Sangster Stakes results behind the fellow Maher/Eustace-trained mare Snapdancer and was also fifth in a brave run in the Group 1 The Goodwood (1200m) here a fortnight after that.

Her latest victory was a nearly five-length romp home over Rothfire, recent winner of Brisbane’s Group 2 Victory Stakes, in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at The Valley last October.

Bella Nipotina has been typically excellent this campaign running two Group 1 placings from three starts before her last start third under a length off the winner Overpass in WA’s $4 million The Quokka (1200m) after missing the kick.

A better start there and she would have won the inaugural running of the buy-in Perth feature, and she is after atonement rock-hard fit in Adelaide now.

Maher & Eustace won last year’s Robert Sangster Stakes with the aforementioned Snapdancer and saddle-up a trio of runners this weekend chasing back-to-back victories.

The favourite Bella Nipotina is joined in the Robert Sangster Stakes field by her stablemates Marabi ($11) and Ruthless Dame ($13) drawn in barriers 7 and 12 respectively.

Marabi is a 1200m specialist having won four of her previous five starts at the distance and is after her first win since the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) in February last year.

After a month on the side-lines the now six-year-old I Am Invincible mare resumed with an eighth to stablemate Coolangatta in Flemington’s Group 1 Lightning Stakes (1000m) only 3.5 lengths beaten with improvement to come.

Tavistock filly Ruthless Dame, recent Group 1 Surround Stakes runner-up in Sydney over the autumn, is looking to be the second three-year-old Robert Sangster Stakes winner in three years after the 2021 success of Instant Celebrity.

There are currently three runners joining Bella Nipotina at single-figure Robert Sangster Stakes odds including the $5.50 second elect Zapateo for the Royal Blue brigade.

The Godolphin-raced Brazen Beau four-year-old chases her third win on the trot having won the Group 3 Birthday Card Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill before a last start 2.4 length victory at Randwick on April 8 in the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes (1200m).

Equal in the markets at $5.50 is the rails-drawn Passive Aggressive for Grahame Begg.

The Fastnet Rock four-year-old has won five of her seven starts to date, most recently on March 4 at Randwick in the Group 2 Challenge Stakes where she defeated Eduardo (2nd) and last year’s The Everest hero Giga Kick (3rd).

Things went amiss last time out on April 1 when 11^th on a Heavy (9) Randwick track in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m), but with a firmer track back against her own kind in Adelaide this weekend she can make amends.

Sydney’s premier trainer Chris Waller saddles-up the last of the single-figure hopes in Robert Sangster Stakes betting with September Run ($9) running fourth-up.

It has been a while between drinks for the mare whose last victory was in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley last March, after which she finished third in the 2022 Robert Sangster Stakes trifecta.

She has been competitive in plenty since and comes off a lead-up fourth in this year’s William Reid Stakes where she was far from disgraced in her ultimately unsuccessful title defence.

Other notable Robert Sangster Stakes hopes this autumn include the flying Waller-trained Coolmore Classic winner Espiona ($11) and the resuming Matthew Williams-trained Literary Magnate ($23) who looks nice value.

The Robert Sangster Stakes 2023 is set to run as Morphettville Race 7 on Saturday with full markets courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au available in full here.

2023 Robert Sangster Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw

No	Last 10	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Penalty	Hcp Rating
1	x1219x3023	BELLA NIPOTINA	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Ben Melham	5	56.5kg		112
2	x4221x0039	ROCH ’N’ HORSE (NZ)	Michael Moroney	Jamie Mott	9	56.5kg		112
3	1x11115x8x	MARABI	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Ben Allen	7	56.5kg		111
4	x16144x011	ZAPATEO	James Cummings	Damien Oliver	11	56.5kg		110
5	135x84x404	SEPTEMBER RUN	Chris Waller	Craig Williams	14	56.5kg		110
6	1111x4x10	PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE	Grahame Begg	Jordan Childs	1	56.5kg		107
7	81x640x611	ESPIONA	Chris Waller	Michael Dee	10	56.5kg		106
8	11310×3899	CHAIN OF LIGHTNING	Peter G Moody	Luke Nolen	8	56.5kg		104
9	24323x123x	LITERARY MAGNATE	Matthew Williams	Dean Yendall	3	56.5kg		98
10	5311x70x24	SERADESS	Mark & Levi Kavanagh	Todd Pannell	2	56.5kg		98
11	74x103110x	DIAMONDS	Chris Bieg	Ms Teagan Voorham	6	56.5kg		95
12	x4057x3143	ANOTHER AWARD	Leon Macdonald & Andrew Gluyas	Jason Holder	13	56.5kg		94
13	11×320	RUTHLESS DAME (NZ)	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	John Allen	12	55kg		100
14	61x3380x1	I’MLOVIN’YA	Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)	Zac Spain	4	55kg		83

Table Credit: Racing Australia.