Last year’s VRC Oaks champion Personal chases a rare interstate double this weekend in Adelaide when heading to Morphettville as one of the key chances in the Australasian Oaks 2021 field.

The Tom Dabernig & Ben Hayes-trained daughter of Fastnet Rock is the highest-rated filly in Saturday’s Group 1 $500,000 Australasian Oaks (2000m) and is out to return to better form.

The key support act on Robert Sangster Stakes Day, this year’s Australasian Oaks drew a capacity final field of 16 starters plus three emergencies.

Personal suffered an early blow drawing out in gate 17, which will become barrier 15 at best with emergencies out come Saturday.

Jockey Damien Oliver reunites with the reigning VRC Oaks winner and chases his third victory in the event in the past 20 years.

Oliver rode Tully Thunder (2002) to victory in the Schweppes Oaks before another victory just two years back aboard Princess Jenni (2019).

He partnered Personal to her big VRC Oaks win over 2500m last November at Flemington as well as back-to-back placings this time in in the Group 3 The Vanity (2^nd) and Group 2 Kewney Stakes (3^rd).

Jockey James McDonald was aboard for her latest run when failing to fire the Sydney way of going in the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill on April 3, Personal after atonement having finished a distant seventh to Hungry Heart that day.

Drawn the opposite end of the field on Saturday with the rails run from barrier one is the all-in favourite in Australasian Oaks betting, the lightly-raced Steinem.

The Ciaron Maher & David Eustace-trained British-bred Frankel filly has just her fourth career start going up in grade for the Group 1 assignment.

Jye McNeil retains the ride on the progressive favourite who won her opening two career starts in Melbourne before heading to Adelaide last time out.

She had the outside alley (16 of 16) at Morphettville on April 17 when only three-quarters of a length back fourth as the beaten odds-on favourite in the Group 3 Auraria Stakes (1800m) that she’s tipped to atone for this weekend.

That race has proved the best form line to follow into the Australasian Oaks in recent years with the double last completed by Sopressa (2018).

This autumn it is Teofilo filly Tyche Goddess for Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young backing-up off a win in the Auraria Stakes into the Oaks.

She improved off some hit-and-miss Melbourne runs, including a second last when 13^th in the VRC Oaks nearly 50 lengths off Personal, to take out the Group 3 in Adelaide as a 40/1 outsider.

Tyche Goddess now gets the chance to prove that win was no fluke drawn barrier five in the Group 1 with Luke Currie in the saddle.

The other placegetters out of the Auraria Stakes accepted for the Australasian Oaks field are the talented runner-up Ecumenical for Murray Bridge horseman Mick Huxtable and Symon Wilde’s third-placed Pride Of Dubai filly Sirileo Miss.

Adding further interest to this year’s race is the acceptance of the undefeated Scott Brunton-trained Hela from Tasmania.

The flying daughter of Night Of Thunder has won all seven of her career starts to date back home and was last seen dominating at an unbackable $1.03 starting price in a BenchMark 84 over the mile by nearly three lengths at Hobart on April 18.

Saturday is a huge class rise and acid test for Brunton’s filly, but she is rock hard fit and looks suited to the 2000m drawn a treat in barrier three for jockey David Pires.

The Australasian Oaks is set to run as Morphettville Race 7 at 3:25pm (ACST) on Saturday.

2021 Australasian Oaks Field & Barriers

No	Last 10	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Penalty	Hcp Rating
1	x52221x237	PERSONAL	Tom Dabernig & Ben Hayes	Damien Oliver	17	56kg		106
2	12310×5216	CHICA FUERTE	Anthony & Sam Freedman		8	56kg		88
3	21×4355417	TOKORANGI (NZ)	Michael Moroney	Mark Zahra	2	56kg		85
4	1111111	HELA	Scott Brunton	David Pires	3	56kg		83
5	5436371134	LLANACORD (NZ)	Stephen Nickalls	Brett Prebble	16	56kg		82
6	x8642x7102	ECUMENICAL	Mick Huxtable	Ms Jessica Eaton	15	56kg		78
7	103330×291	TYCHE GODDESS	Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	Luke Currie	5	56kg		78
8	236×131	RIPPER RITA	Greg Eurell	Jamie Mott	10	56kg		77
9	12×123	SIRILEO MISS	Symon Wilde	Craig Williams	9	56kg		74
10	5211633	FLEXIBLE	James Cummings	William Pike	4	56kg		74
11	11389×522	MOZZIE MONSTER	John Sadler	Craig Newitt	14	56kg		73
12	21×361	BROOKSPIRE	Chris Waller	Michael Walker	7	56kg		71
13	114	STEINEM (GB)	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Jye McNeil	1	56kg		69
14	31×128	FLYING MASCOT (NZ)	Tom Dabernig & Ben Hayes	Daniel Stackhouse	12	56kg		68
15	3321×319	MISS GOBCAIN	Mark C Webb	Brian Park	18	56kg		66
16	823×11	MEDIA AWARD	Chris Calthorpe	Luke Nolen	13	56kg		66
17e	22×2123	AMERICAIN ANGEL	Danny O’Brien	Damian Lane	6	56kg		64
18e	92×230	SPECTACLE	Tony & Calvin McEvoy	Barend Vorster	11	56kg		60
19e	5x005x4716	SHE’S DREAMING	Nicole Bruggemann	Ms Claudia Lions	19	56kg		56

Table Credit: Racing Australia.