Search

show me:

Group 1 VRC Oaks Preview 2024

3 minute read

The Flemington carnival rolls on with Thursday’s VRC Oaks.

Treasurethe Moment accounted for several of her Oaks rivals in the Wakeful Stakes.
Treasurethe Moment accounted for several of her Oaks rivals in the Wakeful Stakes. Picture: Racing Photos

The formula is there for all to see on Thursday, with horses coming out of Saturday's Wakeful Stakes performing very well in the Oaks.

In the past ten years, five Oaks winners have come through the Wakeful, all five finishing in the quinella with three doing the double.

Looking at their ratings with Racing & Sports, this year's Wakeful has gone very well.

Treasurethe Moment has run to 109 on Saturday which is the highest Wakeful winning rating in the past ten years while Powers Of Opal ran to 105 in second.

Looking at the table below, those two are already firmly in the mix for Thursday and the race looks an ideal platform to back up.

Year Horse Wakeful Rating/FP Oaks Rating
2023 Zardozi 102 (2nd) 111 (+9)
2021 Willowy 103 (1st) 105 (+2)
2020 Personal 105 (2nd) 109 (+4)
2019 Miami Bound 106 (1st) 110 (+4)
2018 Aristia 106 (1st) 108 (+2)

No doubt the winner was the best horse on Saturday, getting a perfect run but still running the fastest last 400/200m of the race. My feel is that race shape with a dash home really suited her but she won very well and must be a chance again.

The draw this time is far less kind to Treasurethe Moment with the 2500m start at Flemington tricky if you get caught wide which looks a big possibility.

The betting in the Wakeful was perhaps the biggest pointer. Powers Of Opal was backed off the map to win, starting $1.85, with the market thinking she was going to run around that 109 mark instead.

Powers Of Opal ran the fastest last 800 and 600m sectional but I don't think that's her go. She won her maiden in a ten-pound quicker time figure prior and I think she will be the one to relish a sterner test of 2500m.

Given the betting had such a distinction between them on Saturday, I think you have to be with Powers Of Opal at much bigger prices this time.

We saw that form put a hole in the Ethereal Stakes form with Jenni's Meadow second, beaten 0.4 lengths by Too Darn Discreet there, come out and be beaten nearly nine lengths in the Wakeful.

I'm happy to pen that form completely and think Too Darn Discreet has been winning bunched finishes in slow times where the form hasn't stood up.

Similarly to some extent, the Spring Champion form isn't all that strong. Harlem Queen was fourth there, running to 105 on the RAS ratings, the same as Powers Of Opal, but there was nothing sectionally to get excited about.

They were all finishing fast but were absolutely entitled to off a slow tempo and while El Castello had the task ahead from an awful barrier in The Derby, he didn't really give a huge push to that form.

The one out of the Wakeful at bigger odds that I will have something on is Killcare Beachgirl. She's very well bred and while faded from the lead in the Ethereal and Wakeful, she did lead into the wind on Saturday and likely gets conditions to really suit leaders on Thursday with a westerly wind and very dry conditions.

Happy to back Powers Of Opal and Killcare Beachgirl to turn the tables on Treasurethe Moment.


VRC Oaks 2024

Top tip: #5 Powers Of Opal at $4.00
Each-way: #9 Killcare Beachgirl at $26/6


Racing and Sports

Flemington

Thursday, 07th November 2024

8
17:10
(local)

Crown Oaks (G1)

Age: 3yo Sex: F Type: OPEN Fastest Time: 2:36.83 Mostly Cloudy 16 Sep 2023 Qlty SOT:G
AUD $1,000,000
2500m TURF UNKNOWN
8
17:10
(local)
AUD $1,000,000
2500m UNKNOWN

Crown Oaks (G1)

Age: 3yo Sex: F Type: OPEN Fastest Time: 2:36.83 Mostly Cloudy 16 Sep 2023 Qlty SOT:G
Tab
Form
Silk Horse, Age & Sex
Sire & Dam
Jockey
BP
Trainer
WT
1
x2111
TREASURETHE MOMENT (AUS) 3yo F
ALABAMA EXPRESS (AUS) - DRACONIC TREASURE (USA)
DAMIAN LANE
12
MATT LAURIE
56kg
2
x7111
TOO DARN DISCREET (AUS) 3yo F
TOO DARN HOT (GB) - MAYBE DISCREET (AUS)
MICHAEL DEE
3
DAN O'SULLIVAN
56kg
3
x1124
HARLEM QUEEN (AUS) 3yo F
BRUTAL (NZ) - HARLEM RIVER (AUS)
BLAKE SHINN
5
NATHAN DOYLE
56kg

Sales Information

4
x0747
RAG QUEEN (AUS) 3yo F
D'ARGENTO (AUS) - VICTORY DAY (AUS)
CHAD SCHOFIELD
4
DAVID PAYNE
56kg

Sales Information

5
43412
POWERS OF OPAL (NZ) 3yo F
OCEAN PARK (NZ) - STRADA CAVALLO (NZ)
JAMES MCDONALD
9
J G SARGENT
56kg

Sales Information

6
4125
PLEASURE ARTIST (AUS) 3yo F
TRAPEZE ARTIST (AUS) - PERFECT PLEASURE (AUS)
CRAIG WILLIAMS
6
R & W FREEDMAN
56kg

Sales Information

7
41336
TALISAY (AUS) 3yo F
PRIDE OF DUBAI (AUS) - MYKAETOB (AUS)
BILLY EGAN
8
BYRON COZAMANIS
56kg

Sales Information

8
1x963
FEMMINILE (AUS) 3yo F
DUNDEEL (NZ) - FEMME FIREBALL (AUS)
DANIEL STACKHOUSE
13
PHILLIP STOKES
56kg

Sales Information

9
x3363
KILLCARE BEACHGIRL (AUS) 3yo F
TOO DARN HOT (GB) - ABSOLUTE JOY (NZ)
TIM CLARK
2
G WATERHOUSE & A BOTT
56kg
10
21128
NOISES (AUS) 3yo F
MICROPHONE (AUS) - BEETOBEE (JPN)
ANDREW ADKINS
11
BRAD WIDDUP
56kg

Sales Information

11
6115
HURRY CURRY (NZ) 3yo F
OCEAN PARK (NZ) - HURRY (NZ)
JOAO MOREIRA
7
DANNY O'BRIEN
56kg

Sales Information

12
25244
INEVITABLE TRUTH (AUS) 3yo F
FASTNET ROCK (AUS) - SCARLETINI (AUS)
JYE MCNEIL
1
J G SARGENT
56kg

Sales Information

13
2421
PLACID PEARL (AUS) 3yo F
D'ARGENTO (AUS) - SOUTH PEARL (AUS)
BEN MELHAM
14
MATTHEW SMITH
56kg

Sales Information

14
34489
ALL KINDS OF FOLK (AUS) 3yo F
D'ARGENTO (AUS) - SHE BRINGS HOPE (AUS)
LUKE CURRIE
10
JOHN & CHRIS LEDGER
56kg

Sales Information

What are you really gambling with?

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