Second favourite Enjin Number Nine is among 12 three-year-olds in danger of missing a run in next month's Australian Guineas unless they win at Flemington on Saturday.Two places in next month's Guineas will be up for grabs in Saturday's CS Hayes Stakes and The Vanity which offer the winners a ballot-free exemption for the Group One feature at Flemington on March 5.Hayes Stakes contenders such as Caulfield Guineas winner Anacheeva (second in the order of entry), Carbine Club Stakes winner Mr Char
Second favourite Enjin Number Nine is among 12 three-year-olds in danger of missing a run in next month's Australian Guineas unless they win at Flemington on Saturday.
Two places in next month's Guineas will be up for grabs in Saturday's CS Hayes Stakes and The Vanity which offer the winners a ballot-free exemption for the Group One feature at Flemington on March 5.
Hayes Stakes contenders such as Caulfield Guineas winner Anacheeva (second in the order of entry), Carbine Club Stakes winner Mr Chard (sixth), Stutt Stakes winner Hollowlea (10th), D'Urban Stakes winner Dusty Star (11th) and Caulfield Guineas runner-up Run For Levi (eighth) are safely in the Guineas line-up.
But Enjin Number Nine (17th), Startsmeup (20th), Bullbars (22nd), Smokin' Joey (25th), Goldstone (28th), Liveandletdie (30th), Absolutelyawesome (42nd) and Dominant Future (50th) all must win on Saturday.
In The Vanity, Shamrocker (12th) is the only runner assured of making the Guineas while Southern Speed (31st), Do Ra Mi (34th), Bride Salama (37th) and Absolutely (40th) need success.
Sportingbet Australia has the Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra-trained Enjin Number Nine as a firming $3.60 favourite on Saturday while he is $8.50 second favourite for the Australian Guineas behind Anacheeva ($7.50).
Last start Enjin Number Nine progressed from a class one win at Geelong to scoring a powerhouse victory over Bullbars and Star Witness in the Listed Manfred Stakes (1300m) at Sandown on Wednesday last week.
The gelding has won three of his four starts and is unbeaten in two runs this campaign but Zahra said the stable's concern was that he may lack the maturity for the Guineas.
"We were pleased with the way he came through his last run and I think the further he goes the better he will be, but the question is whether he can keep buttering up every couple of weeks as he is still very immature physically and mentally," Zahra said.
The Leon Macdonald and Andrew Gluyas-trained Spirited Eagle is the best-backed runner in the Hayes Stakes, firming from $8 to $6 equal second favouritism with Dusty Star.
Unbeaten filly Southern Speed, from the same stable, has also been heavily backed in The Vanity, in to $4.20 from $4.60.
The Danny O'Brien-trained Shamrocker is the class runner in The Vanity and is $11 to kick off her AJC Australian Oaks campaign with a win while Peter Moody's Do Ra Mi is $2.10 favourite after being unbeaten this campaign with two impressive wins at Wangaratta and Sandown.
O'Brien said an encouraging run would be enough for him to pursue the Guineas with Shamrocker who is resuming after finishing second to Brazilian Pulse in last year's VRC Oaks.
"We are expecting a forward enough run tomorrow and if we get it then there is a chance she will run in the Guineas," O'Brien said.
"Obviously she has been set for the AJC Oaks but you have got to get there somehow.
"She has still a lot of improvement in her but at the same time you always want to see them run well first time out and so long as she is hitting the line well that will be the main thing."