The now Aaron Purcell-trained Jukebox is firming favourite in Blue Sapphire Stakes 2017 betting to take out the three-years-old feature at Caulfield Racecourse on Wednesday.
Jukebox is firming favourite in 2017 Blue Sapphire Stakes betting for Caulfield this Wednesday in Melbourne. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
The midweek meeting of Caulfield Cup Week is headlined by a smart field of ten youngsters doing battle in the Group 3 $350,000 Blue Sapphire Stakes (1200m).
Currently half of the Blue Sapphire Stakes field are under $10 for the win in markets at Ladbrokes.com.au that are led by Snitzel colt Jukebox, formerly prepared by the suspended Ciaron Maher.
Jukebox has won three of his four career starts to date including his two previous Caulfield runs.
Two back in late August he narrowly took out the Group 3 Vain Stakes (1100m) at the track before suffering his first defeat when second to the gun filly Catchy in the Group 2 Danehill Stakes (1200m) down the Flemington straight on September 16.
Catchy franked that form with a Thousand Guineas Prelude placing and her brave third behind last Saturday’s upset $101 winner Mighty Boss taking on the boys in the Group 1 Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas (1600m).
Jukebox meanwhile has been kept fresh for the Blue Sapphire Stakes, winning a Cranbourne trial in the interim by over four lengths, and reunites with Craig Williams from the outside barrier on Wednesday.
Following Jukebox, who has been backed in from $4.60 to $3.80, in the latest Blue Sapphire Stakes odds at $4.20 is another gun Lindsay Park-trained filly Formality.
Drawn a treat in barrier two with Kerrin McEvoy to ride, the daughter of Fastnet Rock enjoyed back-to-back Randwick Group 2 sprint wins before her tough run from barrier 13 of 14 when 11th to Trapeze Artist in the Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) on September 23.
She is back to her preferred distance in a smaller field this week getting the chance to atone as she returns to Caulfield for the first time since her third to stablemate Catchy in the Group 1 Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) in late February.
Following closely as the $4.60 third elect in what is tipped to be a genuinely run race is the undefeated Stuart Webb-trained filly Crown Witness.
The daughter of Star Witness has won all three of her starts leading-up to the lucrative Blue Sapphire Stakes, including most recently the neck win over the aforementioned Catchy in the Group 3 Quezette Stakes (1100m) here on August 19.
She has trialled once since at Cranbourne on October 9 winning an 800m hitout by over three lengths and gets the chance to retained her flawless record with the run of the race from barrier one with Ben Melham in the saddle.
Rounding out the single-figure Blue Sapphire Stakes hopes are the lightly-raced I Did It Again ($5.50) in barrier three for the gelding’s black-type debut and Summer Passage ($7.50) who scratched out of the Ladbrokes Caulfield Guineas field last weekend.
Prepared across the Tasman by Matamata horsemen Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott, Summer Passage is a proven Group 1 winner down under having taken out the autumn’s ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) in Sydney.
He has had two runs since, running eighth to Catchy in the Danehill Stakes and then second in the Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m).
The team remain confident bypassing the mile Guineas race in favour of this and then possibly the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) on Victoria Derby Day is the right move for Summer Passage.
Check out the latest Blue Sapphire Stakes 2017 betting odds below, markets open now at Ladbrokes.com.au.
