Horse Racing

Held during the famous Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival, the Crown Oaks, formally known as the VRC Oaks, is the leading event for three-year-old fillies, and is their equivalent of the Victoria Derby for colts and geldings. Taking place on the first Thursday of November, the race is held exactly two days after the Melbourne Cup every year during the four-day Flemington Carnival.

This Group 1 event is one of the most lucrative races for fillies in the country with stakes set at over $1million. It is raced over 2500m and the competing three-year-olds all carry set weights of 55.5kg. As the feature race of Crown Oaks Day it attracts much attention from the spectators and punters. Crown Oaks Day itself is also known as “Ladies Day” and sees the Fashions on the Field competition take place, ensuring a large crowd attendance each year.

A traditional lead-up race to this event is the Group 2 Wakeful Stakes (2000m) held the week before, and the Wakeful Stakes winner often continues on to claim victory or at least place in the Crown Oaks. Other good races to watch earlier on, if you are interested in taking advantage of the more generous betting odds offered on the fillies for the Crown Oaks before the running of the Wakeful Stakes, include the Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m) or the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m). Both of these races are often used as a final lead up to the Oaks for the runners.

The 2500m distance of the Crown Oaks often proves difficult for the lower quality fillies, and the winner is more often than not an elite turf champion. Notable winners include Samantha Miss (2008), Miss Finland (2006), Special Harmony (2003) and Magical Miss (2001).

Keep an eye out for in form entries trained by either Lee Freedman or Bart Cummings. Each of these leading trainers has won 4 of the last 20 Crown Oaks, truly dominating the race.