Royal Rapture is the highest-rated and weighted of the milers accepted for the Balaklava Cup 2016 field in South Australia this Wednesday.

The Darren Weir-trained Royal Rapture leads Wednesday’s 2016 Balaklava Cup field and weights in South Australia. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

An early highlight of the Adelaide Spring Racing Carnival, this season’s $100,000 Listed The Advertiser Newspapers Balaklava Cup (1600m) drew a capacity field of 16 starters plus the full six emergencies.

Running as Race 8 at 4:10pm (local) on Wednesday, the Balaklava Cup weights are topped by the Darren Weir-trained Royal Rapture with 59.5kg.

Harry Coffey is booked for the ride on the in-form Clangalang seven-year-old who has won his past three starts over the winter.

His latest saw him carry 55.5kg to a three length victory over 1500m at Moonee Valley.

Weir has Royal Rapture accepted for Wednesday’s race in SA, but has also thrown in a Moonee Valley nomination in Melbourne for the $250,000 Group 2 Dato’ Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) on Saturday.

If Royal Rapture doesn’t run at the mid-week meeting, the new Balaklava Cup top weight will be the returning Tony McEvoy-trained Big Memory (58.5kg).

Drawn wide with barrier 19 (into 15 with emergencies out), the French-bred Duke Of Marmalade gelding hasn’t raced since his second over 2530m at Flemington on Anzac Day.

The stayer is yet to win over less than 1800m, but had plenty of official placings at a mile with two seconds and a third from four runs over the distance.

In the autumn Big Memory also ran second at Bendigo in the Listed Golden Mile (1600m) and second in the Listed Mornington Cup (2400m) so is a versatile galloper.

Also high up the weights are the Ken Sweeney-trained local Riziz (58kg) and the Mick Price-trained Melbourne raider Mighty Like (57.5kg).

Prepared at Morphettville, Zariz eight-year-old Riziz is an evergreen veteran coming off back-to-back seconds.

The first was in the Group 3 Spring Stakes (1200m) on August 6, while the last was on August 20 at Parks behind Rocket Commander in the Listed Penny Edition Stakes (1400m).

The Penny Edition was run on a Heavy (9) track and Riziz’s close effort showed he was likely to handle a mile without issue, dropping a kilo for Wednesday’s race.

Mighty Like will have Joe Bowditch aboard in the Balaklava Cup, the Host seven-year-old from Caulfield looking to atone for his 12^th in the Penny Edition where he was unsuited to the track conditions.

The best out of the Penny Edition results accepted for the Balaklava Cup field is the Will Clarken-trained third placed mare Cavaloce.

The six-year-old daughter of Testa Rossa crossed three lengths off the winner and has form at Wednesday’s track (3-1-1-0).

Before the Penny Edition she ran fourth in the Spring Stakes and won earlier races in Adelaide in July.

She also drops from 57kg last start to the 54kg minimum this week and has Jamie Kah back in the saddle replacing her Penny Edition Stakes hoop Shayne Cahill.

One of the other in-form runners is the David & Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig-trained Petrology, the Fastnet Rock five-year-old coming off a fourth to Royal Rapture at Flemington over 1700m from early August.

Before that he ran second in the Listed Winter Championship (1600m) at the same track as a 41/1 roughie, the former Group 2 Sandown Guineas winner and Group 1 performer racing outside of Melbourne for the first time this week.

Other notable hopes include Penny Edition Stakes fourth placegetter Go Dreaming, the Richard Jolly-trained Alcohol, Jim’s Journey who ran fourth in the Group 2 Adelaide Cup (3200m) over the autumn and Jolly’s in-form mare Our Exchange.

See below for the full Balaklava Cup 2016 field, barriers, jockeys and weights with betting to open shortly at our preferred online sportsbook Ladbrokes.com.au.

2016 Balaklava Cup Final Field & Barrier Draw

Balaklava Race 8 (4:10pm) – 31/08/2016