Richard Litt’s resuming Spring Champion Stakes winner Profondo holds narrow favouritism south of the border on Saturday racing first-up in the Group 1 $1 million Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington.

Profondo is one of the headline acceptors for Flemington’s 2022 Australian Guineas this weekend in Melbourne. Photo: Steve Hart.

A quality field of three-year-old milers face off in this season’s Australian Guineas field including Forgot You and Ranch Hand who scratched out of Sydney’s Group 1 $1 million Randwick Guineas (1600m) on the same day due to the Heavy (10) Randwick track.

The latest Australian Guineas betting markets at Ladbrokes.com.au have lightly-raced Deep Impact colt Profondo at $4.60 to resume a winner in his Melbourne debut.

The progressive galloper rose form a maiden win at Kensington on debut in September to taking out the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick by two lengths in just three starts during a stellar opening campaign.

He now heads to HQ for the Australian Guineas and despite the wide draw is the untapped improver in the mix.

Jockey Robbie Dolan arrives back in Melbourne on Australian Guineas Day to continue his successful association with Profondo and is full of confidence the horse will appreciate his space at the Flemington track.

“A horse like Profondo is made for a track like Flemington,” the Irishman told Racenet this week.

“A big galloping horse, I’m not too worried with the wide barrier, it gives us a couple of options.

“I think it looks pretty good to map out for him, so fingers crossed.

“You can sit with cover (at Flemington) and slowly start to work into a race like that, I’m happier to be drawn wider than (barrier) one and being caught a couple back on the fence.

“This gives him a bit of galloping room and then show them what we can do the last little bit.”

The danger also racing first-up after a Group 1 win last time out in the spring is the Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained Hitotsu ($4.80) jumping from barrier two with John Allen in the saddle.

Hitotsu won the Group 1 VRC Derby (2500m) at the track during the Melbourne Cup Carnival, the Maurice colt another huge improver having come from a maiden win at Donald in September to claim one of the country’s most famous classics two runs later.

The mile first-up looks ideal for him and with the proven Melbourne form lines, he looks set to give Profondo a nice challenge.

The early Australian Guineas market mover ahead of Saturday is the undefeated Pinstriped, Enver Jusufovic’s classy Street Boss colt well backed in from $8.50 to $6.50 to retain to continue his unbeaten run.

He is three-from-three to date following success here on February 19 in the Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes (1400m) and is out to be the latest to do the double since Alligator Blood (2020).

Pinstriped is the fit improver in the field and after hitting the line strongly over the 1400m, looks every chance to see out a further furlong and claim a Group 1 for the CV.

In an open top-half of the market a further two horses are under $10 for the win with the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Captivant ($6.50) to be ridden by Jamie Kah and Forgot You ($7.50) now into single-figures after being withdrawn from Sydney.

Nicely-bred Capitalist colt Captivant was runner-up to Anamoe in the spring’s Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) before things went amiss in his Cox Plate eighth.

He is third-up in the Australian Guineas and last seen running third in the CS Hayes with improvement likely getting out over the 1600m.

Savabeel colt Forgot You for the now Cranbourne-based Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young training partnership is also a CS Hayes graduate having kicked off his autumn with a fourth in the key lead-up.

He has form around Hitotsu from last prep when backing-up off his Group 2 Moonee Valley Vase win to run fifth in the Derby and the mile second-up looks ideal.

Coastwatch (18) for Chris Waller meanwhile has been scratched and instead tackles the muddy conditions in the Randwick Guineas.

The 2022 Australian Guineas is scheduled to run as Race 7 at 4:20pm (AEDT) on Saturday’s nine-race card at Flemington.