Red hot favourite to win the Queensland Oaks 2015 in Brisbane on Saturday, the Chris Waller-trained Winx has come up with a double digit draw in the classic to run at Doomben Racecourse this year.
Traditionally held at the much roomier Eagle Farm track, this year’s $500,000 Group 1 Treasury Casino & Hotel Queensland Oaks (2200m) is run over an amended distance at the notoriously tight Doomben circuit and features a capacity field.
Jumping as Doomben Race 7 at 3:57pm (AEST) the Queensland Oaks line-up features 16 confirmed starters plus five emergencies waiting for a scratching to make the cut on race day.
Leading all the pre-field Queensland Oaks odds at Ladbrokes.com.au, Waller’s smart Street Cry filly Winx was runner-up to Gust Of Wind in the Group 1 ATC Oaks (2400m) in Sydney on April 11 before her brilliant last-to-first Group 3 Sunshine Coast Guineas (21600m) victory back down over the mile on May 16 in her final lead-up to Saturday.
In the Sunshine Coast Guineas jockey Larry Cassidy rode Winx to victory from a wide barrier 14 of 18 draw.
This weekend in Brisbane Cassidy is replaced by Hugh Bowman who chases his second Queensland Oaks victory following his success aboard the Kris Lees-trained Vitesse Dane (2005) a decade ago.
She is drawn in a similar gate to her Guineas winning position allocated barrier 13, which will become nine if the first four emergencies fail to get a run.
Single digit barriers have produced the past four Queensland Oaks winners with Scarlett Lady (2011) the last to win from nine, and also the last favourite to take out the classic.
Waller also saddles up Ballet Suite who has suffered a blow with the outside alley (21 into 16), which hasn’t produced a winner in the past 30 years.
Kerrin McEvoy rides the daughter of High Chaparral who bypassed the traditional Oaks lead-up in last weekend’s Group 2 The Roses (2000m) at the track and was last seen winning the Listed Princess Stakes on May 9.
The other filly best fancied in the Queensland Oaks betting markets also has work to do from a horror starting position with Gai Waterhouse’s The Roses winner Bohemian Lily drawn in 20 (into 15) with Blake Shinn retaining the ride.
Shinn has ridden the O’Reilly filly for her three most recent starts for two wins and a Princess Stakes second, the latest being her effortless four length romp in The Roses last Saturday in a race that has produced nine of the past 10 Queensland Oaks champions.
Other fillies in double digit barriers for the weekend’s feature include the Robert Smerdon-trained SA Fillies Classic third placed Ungrateful Ellen (12), Lisa Latta-trained Kiwi raider Platinum Witness (14) who local hoop Damian Browne rides for the second time following a The Roses sixth, Kris Lees’ ATC Oaks fourth placed Rustic Melody (17) and Anaphora (18) to be ridden by last year’s Queensland Oaks winning hoop Timothy Bell.
One of the top fillies to fair better in the Queensland Oaks barrier draw meanwhile is the Ben Currie-trained Col ‘N’ Lil (5) who apprentice Luke Tarrant will stick with after a nice recent run aboard the Toowoomba-based daughter of Bradbury’s Luck.
Col ‘N’ Lil has run second in three of her four most recent runs this autumn – winter season, the latest of which was behind the runaway winner Bohemian Lily at the track seven days ago come Saturday.
Other notable Queensland Oaks hopes and their allocated gates include the Bjorn Baker-trained Sebrina (8) and the Bart & James Cummings-trained Zarzali (9) to be ridden by Glen Boss and Tommy Berry respectively.
Check out the full Queensland Oaks 2015 field, barriers and jockeys below then visit Ladbrokes.com.au to open an account with the bookie set to offer the hottest odds on Saturday’s Group 1 this weekend!
2015 Queensland Oaks Final Field & Barrier Draw
Doomben Race 7 (3:57pm) – 30/05/2015
# | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Br. | Wgt. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 30154×2121 | BOHEMIAN LILY (NZ) | Gai Waterhouse | Blake Shinn | 20 | 56.5kg |
2 | 122×751521 | WINX | Chris Waller | Hugh Bowman | 13 | 56.5kg |
3 | 141×141226 | PLATINUM WITNESS | Lisa Latta | Damian Browne | 14 | 56.5kg |
4 | 521×11481 | BALLET SUITE | Chris Waller | Kerrin McEvoy | 21 | 56.5kg |
5 | 24×3221242 | RUSTIC MELODY | Kris Lees | James McDonald | 17 | 56.5kg |
6 | 1331×12242 | COL ’N’ LIL | Ben Currie | Luke Tarrant (a) | 5 | 56.5kg |
7 | 1717190353 | WHATALOVELYDAY | Jon Walk | Tegan Harrison | 11 | 56.5kg |
8 | 6×13974125 | EXQUISITE JEWEL (NZ) | Sue Walsh | Jim Byrne | 4 | 56.5kg |
9 | 323013 | HEAVENS ABOVE | Tim Martin | Glyn Schofield | 10 | 56.5kg |
10 | x1x2108619 | SWIFT LADY (NZ) | John Sargent | TBA | 16 | 56.5kg |
11 | 62x81x314 | SEBRINA | Bjorn Baker | Glen Boss | 8 | 56.5kg |
12 | x2472x1315 | ANAPHORA | Tony Noonan | Timothy Bell | 18 | 56.5kg |
13 | 14204×3153 | UNGRATEFUL ELLEN | Robert Smerdon | Craig Williams | 12 | 56.5kg |
14 | 2×24442160 | NO TRICKS (NZ) | Wayne Walters | Michael Cahill | 3 | 56.5kg |
15 | 6311573 | ZARZALI | Bart & James Cummings | Tommy Berry | 9 | 56.5kg |
16 | x31412x424 | YULONG BABY | Mick Price | Craig Newitt | 19 | 56.5kg |
17e | 610930×365 | IMPERIAL LASS (NZ) | Peter G Moody | TBA | 1 | 56.5kg |
18e | 511 | CHAMPION STAGE (NZ) | John Sargent | TBA | 6 | 56.5kg |
19e | 32×312 | SHANDAARA (NZ) | Robbie Laing | TBA | 7 | 56.5kg |
20e | 0363248173 | MINE WITH LIME | Matt Kropp | TBA | 2 | 56.5kg |
21e | x6519x6059 | STEWBALL | Phyllis Kalinowski | TBA | 15 | 56.5kg |