Ciaron Maher has 21 runners at Caulfield which includes Sir John Monash Stakes favourite Recommendation

Recommendation will spearhead a three-pronged Ciaron Maher raid on the Group 3 Sir John Monash Stakes with the top stable having 21 runners engaged at Caulfield on Saturday.

Recommendation resumes in the Sir John Monash Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

Recommendation spearheads a three-pronged Ciaron Maher raid on the Group 3 Sir John Monash Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield.

The four-year-old gelding, a $2.90 favourite with TAB, resumes Saturday after a short break.

In-form sprinter Mrs Chrissie ($5.50) and Senegalia ($34), on a seven-day back-up, head to the race in search of valuable stakes form to boost future pursuits in the breeding barn.

Assistant trainer Jack Turnbull said Recommendation’s class would help offset any fitness or track queries.

Recommendation has won six of 16 starts including previous Group 3 and Listed successes.

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“I’d probably have Recommendation on top on class but Mrs Chrissie on form, hard to split, you could make a case for them all,” Turnbull said.

“Recommendation is a race day horse for sure, at home he only does enough, if he saw the course proper on Saturday and turned it on he is the better galloper.

“He’s run some really good races in his time but generally on firmer ground … but depth isn’t huge and he’s off one jumpout, so you bank a bit on class there.

“We could’ve given him a second (jumpout) but his handicap rating, the strength of this race, and the surface he’ll be running on, we thought it worth putting him in … he should run well.”

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Mornington Glory, a $3.20 second favourite trained by Gavin Bedggood, is the only other first-up runner in the eight-horse field.

Maher has a 21-strong army of Caulfield starters on Saturday, including five in an 1100m Open Handicap, four in a 2000m Benchmark 78 and three in the 1400m Benchmark 100.

A wet track wasn’t the reason for Chorlton Lane’s last-start defeat. Picture: Scott Barbour/Racing Photos via Getty Images

A pair in the 1100m 2YO Fillies include Just Like Gaby, the daughter of Maher-trained multiple Group 1 winner Loving Gaby, and Berezka, the sister of stablemate Nadal.

“She’s (Just Like Gaby) bigger, a little bit more athletic,” Turnbull said.

“If you were to ask (Ciaron), this filly being a little bit more masculine … but very similar, so hopefully she can gallop half as good.”

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Just Like Gaby and Berezka are $8 and $13 respectively with TAB.

Turnbull said Chorlton Lane ($4.20) and St Lawrence ($4.40) could bridge the gap to last start conqueror Rheinberg ($3.80), trained by Ben, JD and Will Hayes.

Chorlton Lane was sent out favourite a fortnight ago but failed to quicken in the straight, close to a month between runs.

Turnbull said fitness, rather than the wet track, attributed to Chorlton Lane’s performance.

“He did have a bit of time between runs, so could’ve been that,” Turnbull said.

“Whether or not we keep him to 1400m and possibly a bit less going forward, he seems to be a sharper, shorter course horse.”

St Lawrence chased Rheinberg but could not bridge a 1¼-length margin.

Blaze A Trail ($9.50) is slated to back-up after running eighth in the Listed Eyeliner Stakes last Saturday at Ipswich first-up from a long break.

The well-travelled gelding, who campaigned in Queensland last year, has won at Caulfield previously but on a Good 4 surface.

Originally published as Ciaron Maher has 21 runners at Caulfield which includes Sir John Monash Stakes favourite Recommendation