A final chance at a Sydney Cup run is on the line for the gallopers in Saturday’s 2020 Chairman’s Quality with Team Snowden’s four-year-old stayer Carif on the quick back-up leading betting on the Royal Randwick showdown.

A key support act on Day 1 of The Championships, this season’s Group 2 $300,000 Schweppes Chairman’s Quality (2600m) has attracted a 15-horse field.

The race serves as a potential lead-up into Saturday week’s Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) back at the track over the two miles, a double last completed by The Offer (2014).

Two horses are currently battling for favouritism in Chairman’s Quality betting at Ladbrokes.com.au with Carif the narrow $5 top elect over the Kiwi stayer The Chosen One ($5.50).

Drawn gate five with Tim Clark continuing associations, So You Think four-year-old Carif is on the short turnaround after his fifth to Verry Elleegant in the Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) last Saturday.

He drops notably in weight from 58.5kg to 55.5kg bringing him right back into winning contention, while the extra distance also suits as he ran second behind True Self last November in the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) in Melbourne.

Hot on Carif’s heels in betting, The Chosen One is prepared across the Tasman by Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman and jumps from barrier four with James McDonald in the saddle.

A four-year-old son of Savabeel, the entire also ran fifth last start when only two lengths off the winner Young Rascal in the Group 3 NE Manion Cup (2400m) at Rosehill.

Melbourne Cup performed when 17^th from a wide barrier 18 in the ‘race that stops a nation’ last November, The Chosen One chases his first win since taking out Caulfield’s Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes last October.

It is a wide-open affair in Chairman’s Quality betting this season with a further five horses under double-figures for the win including the 59kg topweight Mirage Dancer ($7.50) and Chris Waller’s well-weighted mare Youngstar ($7.50).

Mirage Dancer has New Zealander Opie Bosson in the saddle on Saturday, the well-bred Frankel six-year-old another Tancred Stakes graduate having run fourth last weekend.

Sixth prior to that in the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington, the genuine stayer was 14^th in the Melbourne Cup results last spring only 4.3 lengths off the winner Vow And Declare on the back of a Caulfield Cup third.

He presents fit this weekend and looks well-suited to the distance dropping down in grade, but does give notable weight away to his rivals.

Youngstar meanwhile carries just 53.5kg from gate eight with Kerrin McEvoy sticking with the five-year-old High Chaparral mare.

Third in the $500,000 St Leger (2600m) at this track and distance before finishing 20^th in the Melbourne Cup, Youngstar was last seen running fifth in the Group 1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) on Slipper Day.

That form was franked by her second-placed stablemate Verry Elleegant when she won the Tancred, so there are plenty of boxes ticked by Youngstar in the Chairman’s with her advantageous weight.

The other runners at the shortest Chairman’s Quality odds in 2020 are Hugh Bowman’s mount Raheen House ($8.50) for Kris Lees, another of Waller’s runners with Pierro mare Gayatri ($9) coming off a Group 3 Epona Stakes second and the rails-drawn Gallic Chieftain ($9.50).

Click here for the latest Chairman’s Quality Handicap 2020 odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2020 Chairman’s Quality Field & Barriers