Consistent gelding Steely has usurped stablemate Ellsberg for Villiers Stakes favouritism after drawing ideally in barrier four.
The five-year-old firmed into $4.80 with TAB fixed odds following the release of the final field and barrier draw on Wednesday and just shades Ellsberg, who is at $5 after coming up with gate nine.
The pair give Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou a strong hand in Saturday’s feature mile at Randwick, the centrepiece of Sydney’s summer of racing with the winner earning an automatic start in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile.
Chris Waller’s chances of winning the Villiers Stakes (1600m) for the first time in almost 14 years have been dealt a blow with two his three runners handed the widest gates.
Reloaded came up with barrier 21, directly outside barn mate Wheelhouse, while Order Again fared better with 11.
Waller’s only Villiers Stakes title came with Honor In War, who was awarded the race on protest in 2008 when it was run in early January over 1400m following the equine influenza outbreak.
The John O’Shea-trained Kirwan’s Lane was a significant market mover on Wednesday, firming from $26 to $15 after drawing barrier two, while Brutality, one of two runners for Joe Pride, has tightened from $11 into $9 following confirmation he will back up from his placing at Rosehill last weekend.
Brutality has a midfield draw in 13 while stablemate Stockman remains solid at $12 despite drawing awkwardly in 16.
The Villiers Stakes is one of four black-type races on the Randwick program with Eleven Eleven heading the field for the Razor Sharp Handicap (1200m), while the Inglis Nursery (1000m) has attracted a field of 15 and the Christmas Cup (2400m) a nine-horse line-up.
