The Godolphin-raced colt Tom Kitten is tipped to return to winning form when he takes on a class field of fellow three-year-olds at Randwick in the Spring Champion Stakes 2023 this Saturday.

The feature race at the meeting on the same day Melbourne hosts the Ladbrokes Cox Plate, this year’s Group 1 $2 million Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) features an untapped field of 12 young hopefuls.

The event lacks a bit of class based off previous years but there is still plenty to tune in for.

Heading Spring Champion Stakes odds online at Ladbrokes.com.au is the James Cummings-trained son of Harry Angel, Tom Kitten, at a current quote of $2.40.

He is the firm favourite having his second Group 1 start after a fourth to Militarize, the subsequent Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes winner who takes on the older horses in Saturday’s $5 million Cox Plate field, in the autumn’s Champagne Stakes over the mile here.

Tom Kitten enjoyed a narrow win with plenty of kilos fresh in the Group 3 Up And Coming Stakes (1300m) and has finished in the money in his three subsequent spring assignments.

At his latest start he was narrowly denied a win in the Group 3 Gloaming Stakes (1800m) when a neck second to Raf Attack at the track on The Everest Day.

He gets the chance to atone here over a furlong further and jumps from the inside alley with Adam Hyeronimus coming aboard.

The Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Gloaming Stakes winner Raf Attack also backs-up in this weekend’s Spring Champion Stakes field drawn wider out in gate 11.

Regan Bayliss continues associations on the Kiwi-bred colt who pays $6 to go back-to-back with another win over Tom Kitten this time in Group 1 grade.

The other best fancied is the sole filly taking on the colts and geldings this year, the Chris Waller-trained Tutta La Vita at $7.

Montefilia (2020) was the last Spring Champion Stakes winning filly and there is money for Waller’s nicely-bred daughter of former stable star The Autumn Sun to be the next.

At her latest she showed great improvement to run two lengths third behind Tropical Squall in the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) with 56kg.

She has been given a freshen-up since, won a subsequent Rosehill trial, comes back to 54.5kg here and will get the run of the race from gate five.

Waller won the Spring Champion Stakes back in 2015 with Vanbrugh and along with the filly his other chances of a second success in 2023 are Cap Ferrat and Medatsu.

Snitzel colt Cap Ferrat ($15) will be ridden by Kerrin McEvoy from barrier nine and also comes out of the Gloaming having run third only a half-length beaten at a big price.

Medatsu ($51) comes into the race with the confidence of a last start victory following the New Zealand expat’s successful debut for the stable down under at Kembla Grange over 2000m on September 23.

This is obviously tougher but at the 50/1 offering the gelding looks potential value for the exotics.

Another from the Waterhouse/Bott stable, Maurcie colt Ganbare out to improve on his Gloaming eighth, then completes the single-figure hopes at $9 in gate four with jockey Brett Prebble riding.

The 2023 Spring Champion Stakes is set to run as Randwick Race 7 at 4:00pm (AEDT) with full markets thanks to Ladbrokes.com.au available by clicking here.

2023 Spring Champion Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw

No	Last 10	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Probable Weight	Penalty	Hcp Rating
1	61641	RAF ATTACK (NZ)	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Regan Bayliss	11	56.5kg			85
2	41514×1332	TOM KITTEN	James Cummings	Adam Hyeronimus	1	56.5kg			84
3	1786×4118	GANBARE	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Brett Prebble	4	56.5kg			83
4	257×212584	KINTYRE	Gary Portelli	Dylan Gibbons (a)	3	56.5kg			73
5	783115	GLAD YOU THINK SO	John Sargent	Jean Van Overmeire	2	56.5kg			70
6	33151	PORT LOCKROY	Annabel Neasham	Ryan Maloney	8	56.5kg			70
7	176×169	RAVELLO (NZ)	John O’Shea	Tommy Berry	12	56.5kg			69
8	57x335x973	CAP FERRAT	Chris Waller	Kerrin McEvoy	9	56.5kg
9	71297	LONG GENES	Edward Cummings	Tyler Schiller	10	56.5kg			64
10	53331	MEDATSU (NZ)	Chris Waller	Joshua Parr	7	56.5kg			64
11	9×431	RAMBLE ON	Kerry Parker	Jay Ford	6	56.5kg			58
12	221×673	TUTTA LA VITA	Chris Waller	Jason Collett	5	54.5kg			86

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

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