The title of the best sprinter in Australia will be on the line in the 2020 TJ Smith Stakes at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

A host of Group 1 winners have been included in the TJ Smith Stakes and it is a fascinating race from a betting perspective.

We have analysed all 13 sprinters in the field and our complete 2020 TJ Smith Stakes tips can be found below.

Nature Strip

You never know what you are going to get with Nature Strip. On his day, he is right up there with the best sprinters in the world, but also has a nasty habit of being beaten as an odds-on favourite. Nature Strip was very disappointing first-up in the Black Caviar Lightning before he returned to his best form to win the Challenge Stakes in dominant fashion last start. His record over 1200 metres is not overly impressive and the like of Redzel and Vegadaze should ensure that he won’t get things his own way in front. I am happy to take him on at his current price.

Pierata

Pierata returned to the races with a promising effort in The Galaxy and he should take good improvement from that run. The Pierro entire was caught in the worst part of the track and had to shoulder a big weight, but he was still able to find the line nicely. He has generally been just below the truly elite sprinters in these top-level 1200 metres Group 1 races – as we saw when he finished fifth in The Everest – and $8.50 does seem around the right mark.

Santa Ana Lane

Santa Ana Lane is a tough horse to assess ahead of the TJ Smith Stakes. He produced a truly world class performance to win this race 12 months ago and he hasn’t won a race since. The Lope De Vega gelding always improves on his first-up effort, but his run in the Challenge Stakes was particularly poor and he is showing some signs that his best days might be past him. I can’t get him as short as his current quote of $5.50.

Redzel

Redzel goes into the TJ Smith Stakes on the back of two second place finishes in the Black Caviar Lightning and the Challenge Stakes. There is no doubt that he is not as good as he once was and it would surprise to see him win, but he will be in the race for a long way and I think that he can run better than his current price of $18 suggests.

Trekking

Trekking will return to the races for the first time since he was beaten as favourite in the Winterbottom Stakes last year. He showed how good he was last year when he finished third in The Everest and second in the Redzel Stakes, but he would still need to improve on that to be a genuine chance in the TJ Smith Stakes.

Vegadaze

I don’t think that Vegadaze is a legitimate chance in the TJ Smith Stakes, but he could play a serious role in deciding the outcome. The four-year-old only knows one way, which is to lead, and there is no doubt that he will apply pressure to Nature Strip from the wide draw.

Bivouac

Bivouac is the horse to beat in the TJ Smith Stakes. He showed just how good he is when he recorded a dominant win in the Newmarket Handicap and a repeat of that effort would make him very tough to beat. I don’t think that he was suited by taking up the running in the William Reid Stakes and I think that he is a much better horse when he is able to trail another horse into the race. Hugh Bowman will be able to settle him just behind the leading gallopers and he can show-off his superior turn-of-foot late.

In Her Time

In Her Time returned to the races with a credible sixth place effort in The Galaxy. She rarely runs a bad race, but she doesn’t have anywhere near as much upside as some of the other horses in this field.

Exceedance

Exceedance has been disappointing during his Autumn campaign. He stamped himself as a star when he beat Bivouac in the Coolmore Stud Stakes, but he hasn’t been able to return to that sort of form in either the Newmarket Handicap or the William Reid Stakes. It is tough to back him in the TJ Smith Stakes on the back of those efforts.

Tofane

Tofane was very narrowly denied a maiden Group 1 win in The Galaxy, but this race is much tougher. He was outclassed in both the Black Caviar Lightning and the Newmarket Handicap and I expect to see the same thing happen in this contest.

White Moss

White Moss has raced well without winning in the Expressway Stakes, Millie Fox Stakes and Canterbury Stakes during her Autumn campaign, but the TJ Smith Stakes represents a completely different challenge. She is one of the outsiders for a reason.

Standout

Standout looked set for a big Autumn when he won the Expressway Stakes first-up, but he flopped badly after being well-backed in the Canterbury Stakes. It is tough to back him off that effort and even his Expressway Stakes performance was at a level below what will be required to win a race of this quality.

Loving Gaby

Loving Gaby might be the most underrated horse in the country. She keeps winning Group 1 races and, once again, she is at very juicy TJ Smith Stakes odds. There was plenty to like about her performances in the Black Caviar Lightning and the Newmarket Handicap before she went to another level again to beat Bivouac to win the William Reid Stakes. The I Am Invincible filly never runs a bad race and she will prove tough to beat if the likes of Bivouac and Nature Strip don’t bring their best form.

TJ Smith Stakes Tip

13 Loving Gaby at $6.50