Peter Snowden says the Chris Waller-trained Catkins is the horse to beat in the Sheraco Stakes at Rosehill despite saddling up odds-on favourite Bounding.
“No doubt Catkins is the benchmark mare racing here, she’s very good and very good fresh,” Snowden said.
“She will be a hard mare to get past and there are some up-and-coming mares there too like Ron Quinton’s horse Peeping. It’s a quality race.”
The Sheraco has been a happy hunting ground for high-class mares with four of the past five winners carrying 57kg or more, including Catkins last year.
She has 1kg more on Saturday with Bounding heading weights with 59kg.
Bounding earned top billing for the Group Three sprint with a four-length drubbing of a classy field at Caulfield last month.
It was her first start for the Snowden stable which will be hoping to repeat their effort with another inherited mare, Miracles Of Life.
Peter and Paul Snowden nurtured Miracles Of Life during the latter part of her career and were able to win an elusive Group One race with her before she retired to stud.
Bounding is a Group One winner of the Railway Stakes in New Zealand but an elite victory in Australia would add to her residual value.
She will get her chance at that level if she races to expectations on Saturday with Snowden naming the Group One Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield as a likely target.
The stable will also start promising mare Artistry and the speedy Princefamous at Rosehill.