Australian racegoers get their first look at early Cox Plate favourite Romantic Warrior at Flemington on Saturday with the Hong Kong visitor top elect in Turnbull Stakes 2023 betting in Melbourne.

Soulcombe has a Melbourne Cup lead-up in the 2023 Turnbull Stakes field at Flemington this weekend. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

The Group 1 $750,000 TAB Turnbull Stakes (2000m) has drawn a typically top-class field of stars eyeing the spring majors.

The latest Turnbull Stakes odds at Ladbrokes have the Danny Shum-trained Romantic Warrior leading the way at $2.25 with James McDonald aboard.

J Mac already has an established history with the talented gelding having ridden the horse three times for three wins at Sha Tin including last December’s Group 1 Hong Kong Cup (2000m).

Romantic Warrior is an ultra-consistent six-year-old who has finished outside the top two just once in his 14 starts to date.

He is a three-time Group 1 champion in Hong Kong and was last seen being narrowly denied a fourth when runner-up by a neck in the Group 1 Chater Cup (2400m) back in May.

Fresh over 2000m he should be well-equipped to put in a strong Cox Plate trial despite carrying the 59kg top weight at set weights plus penalties.

Ciaron Maher & David Eustace won last year’s Turnbull Stakes with Smokin’ Romans who returns to defend his title as a 90/1 roughie drawn out wide.

The stable saddle-up four in the Turnbull Stakes field with the reigning champion joined by Duke De Sessa ($31), Right You Are ($15), and last year’s Melbourne Cup champion Gold Trip ($11).

Gold Trip is an early Turnbull Stakes market mover heavily backed in from $23 to $11 to win his first race since the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington last November.

He was fifth to Smokin’ Romans under two lengths beaten in last year’s Turnbull Stakes results and comes off a fourth fresh in a Benchmark 100 when only a length off Young Werther at The Valley with improvement to come.

The other trainer launching a four-pronged attack on the Turnbull this season is Chris Waller who is after his sixth win in the race.

Waller won his first Turnbull in 2015 with Preferment before four straight victories from 2017-2020 with Hartnell (2016), Winx (2017-18), Kings Will Dream (2019) and the following year’s Melbourne Cup winning mare Verry Elleegant (2020).

This season the best backed of the Waller runners is Kiwi-bred Pierro four-year-old Osipenko ($6) who is fourth-up and fit.

The gun young stallion brings the superior form lines around Mr Brightside into the race and was last seen running two lengths back third to the star galloper at Headquarters on September 16 in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m).

The other Waller runners in the mix are early Melbourne Cup fancies Soulcombe ($7.50) and Francesco Guardi ($17), along with triple-figure outsider El Bodegon ($126).

Frankel five-year-old Soulcombe is drawn a treat in gate two with Craig Williams coming aboard third-up.

The horse has been excellent this prep winning the Listed Heartherlie Handicap (1700m) with 58.5kg first-up before a fourth only 1.4 lengths off Alligator Blood in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) with 59kg.

Soulcombe should relish the notable drop in weight to 56kg in the Turnbull and looks the most likely to score an upset.

The last of the single-figure hopes is consistent UK raider West Wind Blows ($7.50) for Simon & Ed Crisford.

The Turnbull Stakes 2023 runs as Flemington Race 8 at 4:25pm (AEDT) on the 10-race program on Saturday.

2023 Turnbull Stakes Field & Barriers

Table Credit: Racing Australia.