A key lead-up to the Queensland Oaks 2018 takes place at Doomben Racecourse on Saturday with a gun line-up of three-year-old fillies engaged in The Roses field.
2018 Queensland Oaks bound Torvill heads The Roses field and betting at Doomben on Saturday despite a wide barrier draw. Photo: Steve Hart.
Also known as the Doomben Roses, the Group 2 $175,000 Magic Millions The Roses (2000m) is set to run as Race 7 at 3:10pm (AEST) on Doomben 10,000 Day and has drawn a full line-up of 16 starters plus five emergencies.
Heading The Roses field and odds despite drawing out wide with barrier 18 is the Clarry Conners-trained Torvill.
She is tracking towards the Group 1 $500,000 Queensland Oaks (2200m) back at the track on May 26 and heads The Roses odds at $4 through Ladbrokes.com.au to win her lead-up on Saturday.
Her nasty barrier 18 draw could become 15 with the emergencies out, the daughter of Not A Single Doubt coming off a lead-up win at the track.
Torvill overcame a wide barrier 15 of 15 draw on April 18 to take out the Listed The Bracelet (1630m) and her winning hoop in that, James Orman, retains the ride on the weekend.
There are four other fillies under double-figures in early The Roses betting on the final field including the Chris Waller-trained Youngstar ($5.50) and fellow last start winner Snogging ($6) who drew gates four and 13 respectively.
Like Clarry Conners, Waller has prepared two previous Queensland Oaks winning fillies and chases a third this Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival.
The master horseman won with the champion Winx in 2015 and Egg Tart last year, Waller saddling-up three Queensland Oaks hopes in Saturday’s The Roses field.
Youngstar, to be ridden by last year’s winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy who also rode Purple (2009) to victory for Peter Snowden, is the best fancied of the Waller contingent chasing her third win on the trot.
Her two lead-up victories have been in much easier company, including the impressive three length romp home over 1885m at Newcastle on April 28.
Snogging meanwhile is prepared in Victoria by Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young, the I Am Invincible filly having saluted by two lengths over the mile at Caulfield on April 28.
She has twice been up to The Roses distance when third at Mornington last October and sixth to Luvaluva at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup Carnival in the Group 2 Wakeful Stakes (2000m).
Rounding out the single-figure hopes in the Doomben Roses odds are Waller’s Ocean Park filly Another Dollar ($7) who is yet to finish out of the money in her five career starts and the Michael Moroney-trained Smart Missile grey Play That Song ($8).
Another Dollar stepped-up to black-type company for the first time in The Bracelet and finished second, the well-bred filly likely to enjoy the extra distance this weekend.
Play That Song is also a The Bracelet graduate having placed a close fourth when dropping back from her lead-up 1875m win at Newcastle a fortnight earlier.
Other notable The Roses fillies in Saturday’s Oaks lead-up include the Kris Lees-trained ATC Oaks graduate Chilly Cha Cha ($11), Anthony Freedman’s daughter of So You Think Coral Coast ($15) who was only four lengths beaten when seventh in The Bracelet and the now Gold Coast-trained Kiwi expat Global Thinking ($21).
See below for the full The Roses 2018 field and betting, odds open now through Ladbrokes.com.au.
