UPDATE: #2 Private Eye (14) and #12 Cylinder (7) have been scratched from the 2024 TJ Smith Stakes field due to the Heavy (10) track rating.

Mark Walker’s brilliant mare Imperatriz chases her 11^th Group 1 success heading to Sydney this weekend as favourite in the TJ Smith Stakes 2024 field.

Ten-time Group 1 winning mare Imperatriz is favourite to extend her elite record down under in Sydney’s TJ Smith Stakes 2024 this Saturday. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

Four elite level races take place at Randwick for Day 1 of ‘The Championships’ on Saturday including the day’s sprint feature, the Group 1 $3 million TJ Smith Stakes (1200m).

Fifteen class short-distance horses are engaged with TJ Smith Stakes betting led by I Am Invincible five-year-old Imperatriz in gate six with Opie Bosson continuing associations on the $6.8 million earner.

She is the narrow $3 top elect at Ladbrokes.com.au having just her second Randwick start after a Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) second here back in March last year.

Imperatriz has gone on to win seven of her eight subsequent runs, all but one of which were in top grade, including most recently a successful title defence in the William Reid Stakes at The Valley.

No doubting the Moonee Valley circuit is her pet course, but on class alone she must be considered to add to her tally heading north for the TJ.

The danger occupying the second line of betting at a close $3.60 is the Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman-trained reigning champion I Wish I Win.

The TJ Smith is a race known for its recent multiple winners in recent years with both Chautauqua (2015-17) and Nature Strip (2020-22) enjoying three peats.

Star hoop James McDonald rides last year’s champ from a favourable barrier four draw with I Wish I Win having just his third start since.

The striking Savabeel five-year-old was third to Mr Brightside a half-length beaten fresh in Caulfield’s Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) last September before his second to Think About It in the $20 million The Everest (1200m).

Saturday has him racing first-up in his much-awaited return and there is plenty of support for him to add to his imposing fresh record (6:3-2-1).

Rounding out the current single-figure fancies in the TJ Smith Stakes odds at $8 is the consistent Annabel Neasham-trained Sunshine In Paris.

Jason Collett rides the four-year-old Invader mare from gate nine second-up after last year’s Surround Stakes winner ran second fresh behind Zapateo a neck beaten in the Group 1 The Galaxy (1100m).

Sunshine In Paris doesn’t know how to run a bad race, has a good record at Randwick (3:2-1-0), and will relish getting up to 1200m (5:3-1-1) now.

Chris Waller is after his fourth TJ Smith Stakes trophy with the widely-drawn Espiona ($11) out in gate 13 third-up and fit off back-to-back thirds.

She finished in the money behind Imperatriz and Lady Laguna respectively in the Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) and Canterbury Stakes (1300m) at Flemington and then Randwick, with Waller now opting for a distance in between those two for his daughter of Extreme Choice.

Trainer Joe Pride saddles-up three TJ Smith runners this year including Mazu who rounded out the trifecta last autumn.

He is joined in the line-up by Private Eye and Coal Crusher and all three have suffered a blow with double-digit barriers.

Click here for the latest TJ Smith Stakes 2024 odds online courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2024 TJ Smith Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

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