The 2017 Missile Stakes Form Guide is essential reading for punters and racing fans ahead of the Group 2 feature race at Royal Randwick on Saturday afternoon.

Jungle Edge has been confirmed in the 2017 Missile Stakes field. Photo: Steve Hart

Only nine horses will step out in the 2017 Missile Stakes field on Saturday, but the depth of talent confirmed has led to an open race from a betting perspective.

We have analysed every horse in detail, in order to help your find the 2017 Missile Stakes winner.

Le Romain

Multiple Group 1 winner Le Romain returned to racing in career-best form in autumn and is the horse to beat in the Missile Stakes on Saturday. Winner of both the Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) and Group 1 Cantala Stakes (1600m) in 2016, the Hard Spun gelding resumed this year for consecutive wins in the Group 3 Liverpool City Cup (1200m) and Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m), before finishing second behind Winx in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m). While failing to fire in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m), Le Romain responded with a strong run for second in the Group 1 All Aged Stakes (1400m) last time out and has reportedly taken plenty of benefit from his time away from racing. Glyn Schofield will take the ride from barrier 8.

Jungle Edge

Jungle Edge is another horse that found career-best form through autumn and winter this year and should easily find the early pace in the Missile Stakes from gate 4. Jungle Edge ran a credible fifth in the Group 2 Challenge Stakes (1000m) first-up, before producing a gutsy run for third in the Group 1 The Galaxy (1100m). Returning to winning form in the Group 3 Star Kingdom Stakes (1200m), the Dubawi gelding again finished third in the All Aged Stakes and continued on into the Brisbane Winter Carnival to win the Group 3 BRC Sprint (1350m) and finish second in the Group 1 Darley Kingsford-Smith Cup (1300m) most notably. The wetter, the better for Jungle Edge in the Missile Stakes.

The Monstar

The Monstar has been racing extremely well this time in and has a fitness edge on many of his Missile Stakes rivals. The California Dane gelding clearly required a run when he beat only one runner home in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1200m) first-up on May 13^th, but returned to Sydney for a smart third in the talent-rich Cancer Foundation Handicap (1100m) and win in the Listed June Stakes (1100m). Hitting the line well for second in the Listed Civic Stakes (1350m), The Monstar was last seen finishing second to smart colt Calanda in the Listed Ramornie Handicap (1200m) on July 12 and has trialled well in the lead-up to this race.

Boss Lane

Boss Lane posted an upset win in the July Sprint (1100m) a fortnight ago and is a chance of finishing in the first three in the Missile Stakes, if he can emulate that performance. Posting a career total of nine wins and four minors through forty competitive starts, the Dubawi gelding has been reasonably inconsistent this time, but also won the Winter Dash (1200m) at Randwick by close to four lengths on June 24^th.

That’s A Good Idea

One of the runners for Peter & Paul Snowden in the 2017 Missile Stakes field, That’s A Good Idea faces a noticeable step up in class into this field and will need to be at his best, to be any chance of winning. The Flying Spur gelding has generally raced at a lesser grade that this race in recent seasons and managed to beat only one runner home in the July Sprint a fortnight ago.

Harper’s Choice

The Missile Stakes is short of Harper’s Choice’s best distance, but the four-year-old has plenty of class and is capable of a cheeky first-up run. The Street Cry entire finished fifth in the Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) and fifth in the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m), before ending his campaign a close second in the Group 1 Australian Derby (2400m). Trainer Gerald Ryan is not convinced that Harper’s Choice is an out and out stayer and is confident that he will run well in the Missile Stakes.

Tycoon Tara

Classy mare Tycoon Tara broke through for a maiden win at the highest level at her most-recent start and will take residual fitness from her winter campaign into the Missile Stakes. Winner of this race in 2016, the Written Tycoon mare took a few runs to find form this year, but led from start to finish in the Group 1 Tattersall’s Tiara (1350m) last time out and never appeared in doubt. She should easily find a position close to the pace from the rails draw and is treated well at the weights as a mare.

Invincible Gem

Invincible Gem is an exciting prospect for Kris Lees ahead of the Spring Carnival and she is not without a chance in the Missile Stakes first-up. The daughter of I Am Invincible posted consecutive wins in a pair of Rosehill Gardens sprints in January, before making a successful transition to black type company with a commanding win in the Group 3 Spring Stakes (1600m). Last seen closing out the Randwick Guineas for second behind Inference, Invincible Gem will be partnered by in-form hoop Corey Brown and is drawn to get a good run off the early pace from barrier 6.

Memes

Memes is another horse that faces a step up in class into this Missile Stakes field, but she has been racing in outstanding form this time and is not without a chance. Posting five wins from her last seven starts, Memes was a comfortable winner on heavy going in two Randwick sprints through June and while bobbed on the line in the TAB BM85 (1200m) on July 1^st, beat a classy field with ease in an 1100m Randwick sprint a fortnight ago.