Secret Agenda Leads 2016 Cape Grim Beef Steaks Field & Odds

Mick Price’s last start How Now Stakes winner Secret Agenda has opened early favourite to score back-to-back Caulfield Group 3 victories in the Cape Grim Beef Steaks 2016 this weekend.

How Now Stakes winner Secret Agenda is early favourite to win the 2016 Cape Grim Beef Steaks this Saturday at Caulfield Racecourse. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

Due to run as Caulfield Guineas Day Race 5 at 2:40pm (AEDT) on Saturday afternoon, this year’s $150,000 Group 3 Cape Grim Beef Steaks (1200m) – formerly the Northwood Plume Stakes – has drawn a final field of 14 mares.

Heading the latest Cape Grim Beef Steaks odds at Ladbrokes.com.au paying $3.80 for the win is Not A Single Doubt four-year-old Secret Agenda.

She kicked things off at the track on September 17 and enjoyed a 2.25 length win in the Group 3 How Now Stakes (1200m).

Saturday sees her return to Caulfield against a similar class field over the same distance with Damien Oliver retaining the ride on the favourite from barrier 10.

Three other mares join Secret Agenda under $10 in the Cape Grim Beef Steaks betting markets including Ravi ($5.50) with the outside barrier to overcome.

Despite the wide draw for the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Redoute’s Choice four-year-old, the bookies are taking no chances with the lightly raced and consistent mare.

She has had eight starts to date for four wins, two seconds and a third.

Saturday is her first Caulfield run, but her 1200m form is strong (4-2-1-1) and she was impressive first-up at Rosehill when only a neck off Heavens Above on September 10 in the Group 3 Sheraco Stakes (1200m).

Occupying the third line of betting at an equal $6.50 are Sheidel and Ameristralia drawn in barriers nine and five respectively.

Lindsay Park’s Holy Roman Emperor five-year-old Sheidel harbours Group 1 ambitions this spring nominated for both the Manikato Stakes and Darley Classic over the coming months.

She was Group 1 placed in Adelaide over the winter in the Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) and was last seen crossing second to Hellbent at Caulfield over 1100m on September 24.

The two weeks between runs is ideal and she should be getting set to peak third-up returning to her pet distance (5-3-1-0).

Ameristralia is a Hawkes Racing-trained daughter of Fastnet Rock in outstanding form, the four-year-old undefeated this time in having won her past three starts in easier company.

She is up in class this weekend but saluted at the track by 2.75 lengths in a Benchmark 70 last time out over 1000m and should enjoy the extra distance in the Group 3 on Saturday with Dwayne Dunn retaining the ride.

At double-figures the best value runners look to include the Phillip Stokes-trained Miss Gunpowder ($13) coming off a close third over 1400m at the track behind Alaskan Rose, local War Chant four-year-old Silent Sedition ($13) racing for the first time since her Group 1 Schweppes Oaks (2000m) second in Adelaide during the winter and the Colin Little-trained local hope Jalan Jalan ($13).

See below for the full Cape Grim Beef Steaks 2016 field, barriers, jockeys and latest Fixed Win betting odds provided by our No. 1 recommended bookmaker Ladbrokes.com.au.