---

---

Held during the famous Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival, the 2023 VRC Oaks, formerly known as the Crown Oaks and currently known as the Kennedy Oaks due to sponsorship, is the leading event for three-year-old fillies and is their equivalent of the Victoria Derby held five days earlier on the first day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

The VRC Oaks is held exactly two days after the Melbourne Cup every year at Flemington Racecourse in early November.

This Group 1 event is one of the most lucrative races for fillies in the country with stakes set at over $1 million.

The VRC Oaks is raced over 2500m and the competing three-year-olds all carry set weights of 55.5kg. As the feature race of VRC Oaks Day it attracts much attention from the spectators and punters. VRC 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.

The 2023 VRC Kennedy Oaks ran on Thursday November 9, 2023 on Day 3 of the Melbourne Cup Carnival 2023 and was won by the James Cummings-trained favourite Zardozi ($2.70F) in an easy two length triumph for the punters. 

VRC Kennedy Oaks 2023
Date:	Thursday November 9, 2023
Racecourse:	Flemington Racecourse
Distance:	2500m
Conditions:	Three-year-old Fillies at Set Weights (55.5kg)
Status:	Group 1
Prize Money:	$1 million
Inaugurated:	1861

A traditional lead-up race to the VRC Oaks 2023 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 VRC Oaks.

Willowy (2021), Miami Bound (2019) and Aristia (2018) are the latest fillies to complete the Wakeful Stakes – VRC Oaks double.

Zardozi (2nd in 2023) was the last VRC Oaks winner to come off a lead-up run in the Wakeful Stakes.

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 VRC Oaks before the running of the Wakeful Stakes, include the Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m) and the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m). She’s Extreme (3rd in 2022) was the last VRC Oaks winning filly to come via a run in the Spring Champion Stakes in Sydney.

The 2500m distance of the VRC 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).

2023 VRC Oaks Results

• 1st: #2 Zardozi ($2.70F)
• 2nd: #8 Aethelflaed
• 3rd: #7 Basilinna

The James Cummings-trained favourite Zardozi ($2.70F) relished the step-up in distance off her close second in the Wakeful to show off her brilliant turn of foot over the final 300m racing away to salute in the 2023 VRC Oaks results by over two lengths.

Click here to read more on the big VRC Oaks 2023 win by Zardozi.

2023 Kennedy Oaks Results & Finishing Order

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2023 VRC Oaks Betting

VRC Oaks betting is very popular, as everyone is still very enthusiastic about racing in the days after the Melbourne Cup. Our VRC Oaks betting pages are your guide to the many types of VRC Oaks bets you can make, with information on picking and placing a VRC Oaks trifecta, a VRC Oaks exacta, a VRC Oaks quinella, or a VRC Oaks First Four bet.

The VRC Kennedy Oaks 2023 betting odds will be provided by Ladbrokes.com.au below complete with links for you to back your VRC Oaks tips at the right price closer to the Melbourne Cup Carnival 2023.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2023 KENNEDY OAKS ODDS (Final Field)

Willowy ($3.70 in 2021), She’s Extreme ($2.30 in 2022) and Zardozi ($2.70 in2 023) are the latest favourites in VRC Oaks betting to salute for the punters.

2023 VRC Oaks Tips

Stay tuned for our insider VRC Oaks 2023 Tips on the million-dollar staying race for three-year-old fillies this spring!

• To Win: #1 Tropical Squall – BET NOW

Open edition of the Oaks but happy to get back on Tropical Squall. The consistent Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained daughter of Prized Icon won the Group 1 Flight Stakes in Sydney two back over the mile. She was beaten in the Group 3 Ethereal Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield last time out on October 21 but was drawn wide (12) and carried plenty of weight (59kg). Back to 56kg here at set weights. Has a gun gate three draw and confidence of a previous Melbourne run. Can bounce back.

2023 VRC Oaks Field

The 2023 VRC Oaks field will be released by Racing Victoria on the Monday of race week, one day before Melbourne Cup Day, and will be published below.

The Kennedy Oaks 2023 final field features a smart line-up of three-year-old fillies including Group 1 Flight Stakes winner Tropical Squall, the fellow Waterhouse/Bott-trained Amazonian Lass coming off a win in the Wakeful Stakes here and Godolpin’s eye-catching runner-up in the same key lead-up Zardozi. 

Click here to read more on the key runners in the 2023 Kennedy Oaks field and betting markets.

No	Last 10	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	Probable Weight	Penalty	Hcp Rating
1	1×1312	TROPICAL SQUALL	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Adam Hyeronimus	3	56kg			104
2	111×00712	ZARDOZI	James Cummings	James McDonald	6	56kg			86
3	19×50531	AMAZONIAN LASS	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Tim Clark	13	56kg			86
4	4151	SERVED COLD	Danny O’Brien	Blake Shinn	11	56kg			70
5	11133	HARLOW MIST (NZ)	John Sargent	Michael Dee	9	56kg			76
6	11×9605	COCO SUN	Tony & Calvin McEvoy	Damian Lane	7	56kg			68
7	2183	BASILINNA (NZ)	Emma-Lee & David Browne	Damien Oliver	2	56kg			70
8	7214	AETHELFLAED	Matthew Smith	Mark Zahra	12	56kg			66
9	431292	WINGS OF SONG	Patrick Payne	Billy Egan	14	56kg			63
10	6451	ETHEL MAUDE	Pat Carey & Harris Walker	Rhys McLeod	10	56kg			64
11	421	PEAKY RIDGE	Peter Chow	Declan Bates	8	56kg			63
12	9190	VIESTE	Benjamin Smith	Dean Yendall	5	56kg			64
13	7×8525	ANOTHER YOU	Dan O’Sullivan	Ms Jamie Kah	1	56kg			64
14	430	EVERLASTING KISS	Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	Ben Melham	4	56kg			63

Table Credit: Racing Australia.