The Queen Of The Turf Stakes in Sydney is calling for Mark Walker’s classy Kiwi mare Campionessa after she arrived back down under to defeat two former Melbourne Cup winners home in a 2024 Peter Young Stakes thriller at Caulfield.

2024 Peter Young Stakes winner Campionessa won in a head bob. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

Having only arrived in Australia on Wednesday, Walker’s smart six-year-old daughter of Contributer showed a real will to win getting her head down on the line to win the Group 2 $300,000 Peter Young Stakes (1800m) by a bob over Danny O’Brien’s eight-year-old marvel Vow And Declare.

It was a photo thriller in the Australian Cup lead-up on Blue Diamond Stakes Day with jockey Michael Dee timing his run to perfection after a dream ride in transit aboard the eventual Peter Young Stakes winner.

She was parked fourth throughout saving ground on the inside before getting out off the fence at the top of the straight to charge home.

Vow And Declare in a huge first-up effort still showing an incredible zest for racing made a real race of it with the two going stride-for-stride over the closing stages before the photo went the way of the mare.

“She got a dream run,” Walker told Racing.com after the win.

“Full credit to the mare, she only got here Wednesday night so she hasn’t been here long.”

In third completing the Peter Young Stakes trifecta after making up all the ground from the back was Ciaron Maher’s 2022 Melbourne Cup champion Gold Trip who was lifting with every stride late in the piece.

The mares have dominated the Peter Young in recent years with Campionessa the fourth in the past five years to beat home the boys.

For Walker it was his second victory following his 2008 success with fellow mare Prince Coup.

A Group 1 winner back home across the Tasman, Campionessa was well placed today with the fitness edge to win ahead of tougher autumn assignments.

She was in Melbourne last autumn when sixth to Cascadian in Flemington’s Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m).

Despite a good performance over the 1800m in the Peter Young Stakes she looks unlikely to have another attempt at the 2000m Group 1 and will instead be kept to a mile.

“My gut feeling, and you don’t ever make a decision race day, but we’ll probably come back to a mile for the Sunline Stakes and then there is a Group 1 in Sydney – the Queen Of the Turf Stakes – and that is my gut feeling today,” Walker said.

The Group 2 $300,000 Sunline Stakes (1600m) runs at The Valley on March 23 followed by the Group 1 $1 million Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick on April 13.

The latest all-in 2024 Queen Of The Turf Stakes odds at Ladbrokes.com.au have Campionessa at $26 and can be accessed in full here.

2024 Peter Young Stakes Results & Finishing Order

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

THINK. IS THIS A BET YOU REALLY WANT TO PLACE?

For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.