Dual defending champion Zaaki is out to make history as the odds-on favourite in 2023 A.D. Hollindale Stakes betting this weekend to secure his third straight victory in the Queensland feature.

Dual defending champion Zaaki is short-priced favourite to win his third title in Saturday’s 2023 A.D. Hollindale Stakes. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

Annabel Neasham’s imported weight-for-age star has won the past two editions of the popular Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival lead-up held at the Gold Coast.

With the Gold Coast track undergoing upgrades this year’s Group 2 $500,000 A.D. Hollindale Stakes (1800m) has moved up the coast to Caloundra.

Three early withdrawals from the A.D. Hollindale Stakes field, including the other Neasham acceptor Bois D’argent (5), has 11 runners currently in contention.

The latest A.D. Hollindale Stakes betting markets have eight-year-old marvel Zaaki as the firming odds-on elect into $1.65 through Ladbrokes.com.au.

Ace hoop James McDonald has the mount second-up on the 41-start veteran who can take his earnings up over the $10 million mark with success on Saturday.

Zaaki capped off a stellar spring last time in with a successful title defence at Flemington in the Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) – now VRC Champions Stakes – last November before a strong return on April 15.

In Sydney at Randwick he ran second to The Everest winning three-year-old Giga Kick in the Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) with improvement to come.

He’s fitter for the run now, back in grade, up in distance and ticks all the boxes to become a three-time Hollindale Stakes champ on his way to the winter Group 1s in Brisbane.

The danger and only other contender under double-figurers in the A.D. Hollindale Stakes odds online is the Chris Waller-trained mare Atishu at $6.50.

She jumps out wide in the field but presents fit third-up as a last start Group 1 winner.

The ultra-consistent daughter of Savabeel never runs a bad race and was excellent on April 8 at Randwick winning the Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) by 2.5 lengths.

This weekend she too drops in class and rises in distance.

With winning form up to 2000m Atishu looks a genuine winning hope here again looking to become the first A.D. Hollindale Stakes winning mare since Oregon’s Day in 2018.

Waller has prepared three previous A.D. Hollindale Stakes winners with Life Less Ordinary (2019) the most recent.

Sydney’s premier trainer has a stranglehold over the field in 2023 numbers-wise saddling-up a total of five runners after the early scratching of his sixth acceptor Desert Icon.

Along with Atishu Waller will be represented in the event on Saturday by outside hope Kolding ($61), last year’s Group 1 The Metropolitan winning stayer No Compromise ($35), the rails-drawn Skyman ($12) coming off a Black-Type win in Brisbane and last start Group 3 Hawkesbury Cup winner New Mandate ($17).

The Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Huetor ran fourth to Zaaki in last year’s A.D. Hollindale Stakes results before heading to Eagle Farm to take out the Group 1 Doomben Cup (2100m).

The now six-year-old son of Archipenko returns this year having run third in the Group 3 JRA Plate (2000m) last time out and pays $14 to better his finish in this season’s race.

Other notable hopes in the mix include the Hawkes Racing-trained Zeyrek ($11) last seen running seventh to Dubai Honour in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) and the always-honest Michael Moroney-trained Bankers Choice.

The A.D. Hollindale Stakes 2023 is set to run as the Sunshine Coast Race 7 at 5:00pm (AEST) with full markets courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au available by clicking here.

2023 A.D. Hollindale Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw

Table Credit: Racing Australia.