This Saturday the Melbourne Cup Carnival kicks off at Flemington Racecourse with Victoria Derby Day featuring a host of Group races including the Salinger Stakes 2014 where Chautauqua is one of the headline nominees.

Darley Classic favourite Chautauqua is nominated for Saturday’s 2014 Salinger Stakes. Photo: Race Horse Photos Australia.

Running as Flemington Race 6 this year’s $300,000 Group 2 Salinger Stakes (1200m), also known as the Yellowglen Stakes, attracted 21 nominations including two for Team Hawkes.

The Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes-trained contingent is led by Encosta De Lago four-year-old Chautauqua who has won three of his four runs this time in.

His last two have been down the Flemington straight meanwhile he shoots for a hat-trick at the track and distance if accepted for Saturday’s showdown.

Last start Chautauqua won the Group 2 Gilgai Stakes (1200m) by a blistering four lengths on October 4 giving him a month between runs ahead of Saturday.

He’s likely then to be tested in elite level company just seven days later with connections targeting the $1 million Group 1 Darley Classic (1200m) back at the track on November 8.

After his exciting Gilgai win he has shot to the top of the futures Darley Classic odds at Ladbrokes.com.au paying $2.80 to beat a crack field including Manikato Stakes champ Lankan Rupee.

Chautauqua is joined in the Salinger Stakes nominations by stable mate Deep Field, the undefeated Northern Meteor stallion having won all four of his starts to date in Sydney.

Saturday then will be the four-year-olds’ Melbourne debut on the back of a black-type Randwick win over 1100m from October 18.

There are a host of other last start winning Salinger Stakes nominees for this weekend including the likes of Bel Sprinter and Miracles Of Life.

Jason Warren’s former Group 1 winning seven-year-old Bel Sprinter returned to the winner’s stall first-up on Caulfield Cup Day with a nice dead-heat win with the also returning Miracles Of Life in the Group 2 Caulfield Sprint (1100m).

Last year’s Blue Diamond winning daughter of Not A Single doubt Miracles Of Life meanwhile was debuting for new connections Peter & Paul Snowden, the duo both out for another win this weekend.

Third in the Caulfield Sprint was then the Robert Smerdon-trained Shamal Wind who has run third in all three of her runs this season at Caulfield with the five-year-old looking for her third win from five starts at Flemington on Saturday.

Big Money is the other notable Caulfield Stakes graduate in the Salinger Stakes nominations, Rodney Northam’s Choisir gelding having run fourth beaten just over half a length on the back of some top winter form over the 1200m in both Brisbane and Sydney.

The Les Bridge-trained Sydneysider Avoid Lightning also comes off some crack recent form having won three of her four runs since May.

Third behind Cosmic Endeavour in the Group 1 Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m) in Brisbane during the winter the now six-year-old Blevic mare returned at Randwick on October 18 and won a Group 3 over 1200m ahead of her third look at Flemington in the Salinger.

Other notable Salinger Stakes nominees include the Peter Moody-trained A Time For Julia out to atone for a disappointing Sir Rupert Clarke run last start; the Gai Waterhouse-trained Group 1 winner Driefontein coming off a Caulfield Sprint sixth; and In Cahoots, Admantium and Éclair Big Bang who ran the trifecta in a Listed Caulfield race a fortnight ago.

See below for the full Salinger Stakes 2014 nominations, then visit Ladbrokes.com.au and open your account with the country’s best bookie ahead of the weekend to get in on the Derby Day betting action!

2014 Salinger Stakes Nominations

Flemington Race 6 – 01/11/2014