Simon Miller’s class mare Amelia’s Jewel has retained favouritism in The Quokka 2024 betting despite drawing out wide in gate 12 for the second running of the now $5 million slot race.

WA racing ran the inaugural The Quokka (1200m) event last year with Ameila’s Jewel running second to Overpass as the beaten favourite at Ascot in Perth.

The now four-year-old daughter of Siyouni gets a second shot at the title this weekend at her pet track with the $2.8 million earner out to go one better.

She is second-up after finishing runner-up in the Group 3 Roma Cup (1100m) on April 6 and will relish getting up to 1200m now.

Amelia’s Jewel had a tough assignment from barrier 14 in The Quokka field last autumn and is wide again in gate 12 on Saturday.

The Group 1 winning mare remains top of The Quokka odds at $3.40 through Ladbrokes.com.au post-barrier draw and will have Damian Lane in the saddle as she looks to salute for the punters.

The Bjorn Baker-trained Vancouver gelding from Sydney, Overpass, was a surprise The Quokka winner at $12 last year from gate eight.

He returns looking for back-to-back trophies fresh on Saturday with another favourable gate six draw.

Overpass hasn’t raced since his 1.68 length win at the track and trip in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) back in early December last year.

The five-year-old, who is two-from-two without a defeat at Ascot, trialled well at Rosehill on March 18 saluting over Zou Tiger and Shinzo in a promising hit out and has plenty of first-up form (6:2-3-0).

He loves racing in Perth, is at the right distance, is drawn well and sits on the second line of The Quokka markets now at $4.60.

All three horses out of the first The Quokka trifecta return this season with Bella Nipotina third last year and is now out to $5.50 as the third favourite to improve this year.

Ciaron Maher’s Pride Of Dubai mare has her 48^th career start on Saturday with Craig Williams aboard.

She suffered an early blow drawing gate 13 but comes off a string of good autumn Group 1 runs including her narrow loss to Chain Of Lightning in Randwick’s Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) in the wet on April 6.

Oscar’s Fortune is the other most likely at $6 bringing in strong form lines around the best The Quokka contenders.

The ultra-consistent Rich Enuff three-year-old is lightly raced but doing everything right with a strong record of five wins and three seconds from eight starts.

He loves Ascot (5:3-2-0) but is yet to win over further than 1100m.

Second in the Winterbottom to Overpass in the summer, he was excellent second-up a fortnight back beating Amelia’s Jewel in the Roma Cup.

Oscar’s Fortune, racing for Loloma Farms, looks right up to this class from a gun barrier three draw with the ‘Wizard of the West’ William Pike in the saddle.

The last of the single-figure fancies in the markets at $8 is King Of Sparta for Peter & Paul Snowden.

The I Am Invincible five-year-old has had two runs in 2024 winning the $1 million Magic Millions Sprint (1200m) at the Gold Coast by two lengths back in mid-January before franking that form with a Group 2 Expressway Stakes (1200m) success at Randwick.

Goes best with his runs spaced and gets that here not having run since the Expressway win in mid-Feb.

Kept fit with a recent Sydney trial where he showed enough to suggest he can be competitive resuming for his first Perth assignment.

King Of Sparta boasts a tremendous 1200m record (19:7-3-2) and is drawn to challenge in gate four with Blake Shinn riding.

Click here for the latest The Quokka 2024 betting odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2024 The Quokka Final Field & Barrier Draw

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

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