This season's three-year-old form at weight-for-age has encouraged trainer Lee Freedman to take on Weekend Hussler with emerging star Time Thief in the Group One Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley.Freedman said he expected the Redoute's Choice colt, who is having only his sixth race start, to be hard to beat against the older horses in Saturday's feature."Weekend Hussler is obviously the one to beat but I like three-year-olds at weight-for-age," Freedman said.Samantha Miss, Wilander and Von Costa

This season's three-year-old form at weight-for-age has encouraged trainer Lee Freedman to take on Weekend Hussler with emerging star Time Thief in the Group One Australia Stakes at Moonee Valley.

Freedman said he expected the Redoute's Choice colt, who is having only his sixth race start, to be hard to beat against the older horses in Saturday's feature.

"Weekend Hussler is obviously the one to beat but I like three-year-olds at weight-for-age," Freedman said.

Samantha Miss, Wilander and Von Costa De Hero support Freedman's enthusiasm for Time Thief's chances.

"Not many have ventured out of the three-year-old ranks so far this season but they have gone really well," Freedman said.

"Samantha Miss ran a cracker (when third) in the Cox Plate and our horse (Wilander) won the Schillaci and ran a really good race in the Lightning as well when he dead-heated for fourth with Weekend Hussler."

Von Costa De Hero finished third to Lucky Secret in last month's Carlyon Stakes and last week was a close fifth to Maldivian in the Orr Stakes.

Freedman has always had a high opinion of Time Thief who has posted two wins and three seconds from his five runs.

He finished second to Whobegotyou in the Group One Caulfield Guineas (1600m) before resuming last month with a victory over Fravashi and Fernandina in the Listed Zeditave Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.

Freedman has kept Time Thief fresh to take on the more seasoned sprinters in the Australia Stakes.

"It was the logical race to run him in." Freedman said.

Time Thief, who will be ridden by Kerrin McEvoy, is one up on Weekend Hussler in that he has raced at Moonee Valley.

He won only his start at the Valley when making his debut last August while Weekend Hussler has only worked on the track.

Weekend Hussler ($1.60 fav), Apache Cat ($5), who won last year's Australia Stakes, and Time Thief ($6) are the only horses TAB Sportsbet has under double-figure odds.

Time Thief is also fancied at $9 for next month's Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington but Freedman is still undecided about running him.

"There is no set plan," Freedman said.

Meanwhile, Brian Mayfield-Smith is more hopeful than confident that Orange County can win the Australia Stakes first up.

Mayfield-Smith said there were few options for the six-year-old and that the Group One Newmarket Handicap (1200m) was his only other autumn target at this stage.

"There was not much else to put him in," Mayfield-Smith said.

"We thought he goes well first-up and he goes well at Moonee Valley so we may as well have a go on Saturday.

"It is a hard race but we saw what happened with an upset in the Lightning, so it is not impossible."

Last campaign Orange County got his first Group One win in the Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.

At his two previous runs he was a first-up fourth to Kaphero in the McEwen Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley and beaten a head and a nose when third to Bon Hoffa and Grand Duels in the Bobbie Lewis (1200m) at Flemington.

"That shows that he can handle a first-up sprint at Moonee valley and can handle going down the straight second-up, so we may as well give this and the Newmarket a crack," Mayfield-Smith said.