P.B. Lawrence Stakes draws capacity field
A capacity field of 15 runners will contest Saturday’s Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield Racecourse.
Mr Brightside will be looking to defend his crown in Saturday’s $300,000 feature, having defeated I Am Superman and Buffalo River last year.
Online bookmakers are taking no risks upon Mr Brightside’s return, with the 2022 All-Star Mile winner opening as a $2 favourite to kick off his spring campaign.
Saturday’s Group 2 will be the first time the Ben, Will & JD Hayes training partnership will have a Group runner, with Will Hayes joining the partnership just days before the commencement of the 2023/24 racing season.
Just one other horse is under a double-figure quote, with 2022 Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) winner Tuvalu holding the second line of betting at $7.50.
The Lawrence Stakes will be the first time the Lindsey Smith-trained runner has been back at the races since finishing ninth in the Group 2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on March 4 earlier this year.
With a first-up record of three wins and two minor placings from six starts, punters clearly believe Tuvalu is the biggest danger to Mr Brightside.
New-season four-year-old Attrition has accepted for Saturday’s Group 2 at Caulfield, despite being third emergency in the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) at Randwick.
This will be the first time Attrition steps up to weight-for-age class at Group level, having last been seen finishing second in the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) when narrowly beaten by Legarto.
Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young duo Uncle Bryn and Forgot You are another pair set to have their first run this campaign and will be looking to hand their trainers a second win in the race, following Siera Sue’s triumph in the race back in 2021.
The Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes is the ninth race on Saturday’s 10-race program at Caulfield, with the race set to be run at 4:40pm AEST.
2023 P.B. Lawrence Stakes final field
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