The Listed $125,000 Belmont Classic (2200m) shapes as a battle between the boys and girls with Westbound and Ladies Pro dominating the betting for Saturday’s headliner.

Westbound is rated best of the boys having won five of his nine starts and is a $2.15 chance, though the market favours the fairer-sexed Ladies Pro at $1.85.

Michael Grantham, who trains Westbound, was left miffed by the gelding’s below-par run in the Belmont Guineas but he turned around that form with a runaway success in last fortnight’s Aquanita Stakes.

“He put a great run up in the Raconteur and then pulled my pants down in the Guineas,” Grantham said.

“I had a couple of weeks to pull my head in, and he got to do what he did the other day.”

Grantham, in a dispute with Grant and Alana Williams for the WA trainers’ premierships, said the son of Toronado had thrived since last start.

“His heart rate was exceptional after his breeze up (on Thursday). To the eye, it looked enough, but he came in bouncing,” he said.

“I think he’s in the right zone at the moment. He’s fresh but he’s got fitness on his side.”

With only seven runners facing the starter, Grantham said he would be unsurprised if one or multiple runners tried a tactics change.

However, regardless of how the race is run, he fears the presence of the Williams-trained Ladies Pro.

“Over the trip, she looked like she was never stopping,” Grantham said.

“But when you step up to this trip with the three-year-olds, I feel like Grant and Alana and myself, we’re not going into this race wondering if we’ve got them (right) or if they’ve trained off.

“We’ve both got two fresh horses, and I’d love to say I can beat them, but I think it’s going to be pretty hard to knock them off.”

Westbound has drawn barrier one while Ladies Pro is positioned from gate four, leaving Grantham and rider Clint Johnston-Porter with a tactical dilemma.

“At the end of the day, he’ll (Johnston-Porter) be out there having a couple of rides on the track to warrant what we do, and I think he’s a little bit versatile,” Grantham said.

“He doesn’t jump the best but if Clint can get him to jump well and be somewhere handy, it would just be good if weren’t boxed up. Then, Pikey (William Pike on Ladies Pro) will just ride his race, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they use their filly a bit earlier just to hold us in.”

Although possessing chances in many races on the programme, the leading conditioner declared his best chance was $8.50 pop Great Emotion in the final event.