The sprint feature of the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival takes place at Royal Randwick on Saturday and our insider 2018 TJ Smith Stakes tips and latest odds on the $2.5 million clash are detailed below.

Redzel is the hot favourite and Races.com.au team’s tip to win the TJ Smith Stakes in Sydney on Day 1 of ‘The Championships’. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

A dozen autumn sprinters remain in the mix for this year’s Group 1 $2.5 million Darley TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) after the two horses in the outside barriers – #11 Missrock (13) and #13 Showtime (14) – were withdrawn from the line-up before ‘The Championships’ Day 1.

The price on the short-priced favourite in TJ Smith Stakes betting Redzel remains steady around $2.35 for the son of Snitzel to cement his title as Australia’s best sprinter.

He will surpass triple TJ Smith Stakes winner Chautauqua in prize money earned with a win for the punters on the weekend and was impressive on Tuesday morning during his slick Breakfast With The Stars gallop.

“I love riding him and he’s in good order,” Redzel’s jockey Kerrin McEvoy told Racing NSW.

“It’s just what you want for their last bit of work and everything points to him getting to the TJ in good shape.”

The challengers, should they come, according to the TJ Smith Stakes odds are Benjamin Smith’s last start The Galaxy winning mare In Her Time ($4.20) in gate three and the Darren Weir-trained Brave Smash ($6.50) who ran third in The Everest at this track / distance behind Redzel during the spring.

Earlier in the week we published our comprehensive TJ Smith Stakes 2018 Form Guide & Betting Preview, our below race tips based on the facts and stats uncovered there.

1^st

#1 Redzel ($2.35)

Really hard to go past the favourite who is no value but the one to beat. He won six on the trot in the spring including The Everest at this track / distance and the Darley Classic down the Flemington straight. Final stride loss first-up in the Black Caviar Lighting (1000m) but quickly atoned with the comprehensive Challenge Stakes win 28 days ago come Saturday. Brilliant trial winner since and Tuesday morning worked in fine fashion at Randwick. Team are confident, no Chautauqua in the race this year, best Win rate (52%), highest Place rate (78%), genuine Randwick (9:6-1-1) and distance (6:4-0-0) specialist. Likely to be smooth away, take the lead soon after the jump and control the race from go to whoa.

2^nd

#3 Brave Smash ($6.50)

Money coming for Weir’s Japanese import who does shape-up as a danger from the gun barrier two draw with Craig Williams retaining the ride. He rose the entire to victory in the Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield two back before a lead-up second to the horse that beat Redzel first-up, Redkirk Warrior, in the Newmarket Handicap (1200m) when dropping back in distance from the same gate he has on Saturday. In Sydney for the first time since October when a length back third in The Everest, is fit and even though this might not have been the target race all along, is going well enough to challenge again.

3^rd

#10 Global Glamour ($14)

Really nice price on this speedy Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained mare Global Glamour. Her stablemate English ($11) is also in the mix having finished top three in this race for the past two years, but like the value on Global Glamour for a place. She comes off back-to-back seconds at Randwick over more metres, the latest behind Doncaster Mile second-elect Happy Clapper in the Canterbury Stakes (1300m). She is down a half-kilo off that and back to 1200m. Is that the right move? She loves the track and the stable believe she can be competitive with an on-speed run, we agree after a freshen-up.

Now is the time to lock in our exclusive TJ Smith Stakes 2018 betting tips at the right price online through Ladbrokes.com.au.