The consistent Joe Pride-trained Big Parade is firm favourite to get his spring lead-up underway with a win in the 2023 Missile Stakes at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.

Big Parade heads 2023 Missile Stakes betting in Sydney this weekend. Photo: Steve Hart.

A quality line-up of sprinters does battle in Sydney’s Group 2 $300,000 Missile Stakes (1200m) this weekend with the bulk of the money on the resuming top elect Big Parade drawn gate four with Joshua Parr in the saddle.

The now seven-year-old son of Deep Field has a lovely record fresh (6:3-1-0) that he is looking to add to at Rosehill in his much-awaited return to racing.

He hasn’t raced since the Group 3 Hall Mark Stakes (1200m) in April of 2022, but has been excellent in a series of trials since transferring from Mark Newnham to Pride.

At his latest hit-out at Warwick Farm on July 24 Big Parade romped home over 900m by over 20 lengths in a trial that included multiple Group 1 winner In Secret.

That looks a pretty strong reference to follow into the Missile with Big Parade dominating markets at $2.60 through Ladbrokes.com.au.

The danger occupying the second line of Missile Stakes betting at $3.90 is the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained I Am Me.

Tim Clark rides the I Am Invincible mare from the inside alley first-up.

I Am Me is two-from-two at the Rosehill track and races for the first time since her narrow loss when only two lengths back seventh behind Uncommon James in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) in February.

Prior to that Group 1 test she won four on the trot and has been brought on fitness-wise ahead of the Missile with back-to-back winning trials in July.

A further two runners in the Missile Stakes field this season are under $10 for the win with the James Cummings-trained top-weight Golden Mile ($7.50) and the fellow Godolphin-raced Ingratiating ($8).

James McDonald rides Golden Mile from barrier two on 59kg first-up with the now four-year-old Astern entire out to atone for his last start flop when dead last (20^th) in the mud at Randwick behind Mr Brightside in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m).

He also failed the run before when last (11^th) behind Anamoe in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m).

This time in Golden Mile is out to return to his better form off a good Randwick trial win late last month.

The 2022 Caulfield Guineas winner is more than capable when at his best and is looking for his first victory since the $1 million Group 2 Callander-Pres (1600m) at Randwick last October, but does need to answer a few questions here.

Stablemate Ingratiating scratched out of Melbourne’s Group 3 Aurie’s Star Handicap (1200m) down the Flemington straight in favour of this Sydney assignment, and the money is coming for the Frosted five-year-old.

The Everest performed when rounding out the 12-horses in the finish during the spring, he was back to winning form last start at Caulfield on July 22 in the Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m).

Ingratiating comes back from 58.5kg there to 56.5kg this weekend with Zac Lloyd to ride from gate nine.

The 2023 Missile Stakes is set to run as Rosehill Race 8 at 3:40pm (AEST) on Saturday’s 10-race card with full markets from Ladbrokes.com.au available by clicking here.

2023 Missile Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw

Table Credit: Racing Australia.