A host of Australian Oaks hopefuls are set to face off at Royal Randwick this weekend in the Adrian Knox Stakes 2015 including favourite for the Group 1 Winx.
2015 Australian Oaks favourite Winx is nominated for a lead-up run in the Adrian Knox Stakes at Royal Randwick this weekend. Photo: Steve Hart.
Chris Waller’s daughter of Street Cry is one of 21 three-year-old fillies making up the bumper nominations taken for the $200,000 Group 3 Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m) on Day 1 of The Championships this Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.
The Adrian Knox is a traditional lead-up into the $1 million Group 1 Australian Oaks (2400m) back at the track seven days later with a host of fillies having completed the double including Royal Descent (2013).
All-in Australian Oaks odds at Ladbrokes.com.au are led by Winx ($4.80) who will look to retain favouritism with a win in the Adrian Knox this weekend.
She is on a short turnaround from last Saturday at Rosehill however after she ran fifth as the beaten favourite to Fenway in the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m), an effort the recent Group 2 Phar Lap Stakes winner is out to improve on here over the same distance.
Also coming off a gun run behind the upset winner in the Vinery Stud Stakes is Waller’s High Chaparral filly Ballet Suite.
A winner of three of her six career starts to date, Ballet Suite jumped as a $21 outsider in last weekend’s Group 1 but caught the eye with a fast-finishing fourth when beaten only one and a half lengths in her black-type debut.
It was a big rise in class in the Vinery Stud Stakes for Ballet Suite and her top effort has her occupying the third line of Australian Oaks betting at $8 trailing only her stablemate Winx and the Vinery winner Fenway ($6).
Waller has a total of four Adrian Knox Stakes nominees with last start Keith Nolan Stakes runner-up Wine Tales, a $17 Oaks chance, and Amicus rounding out his chances.
Winner of the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield during the spring, Fastnet Rock filly Amicus ran fourth to Plucky Belle two back in the Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) against the older mares before a sixth in the Vinery.
She is at $13 to improve over more distance and win the Australian Oaks, an equal price with fellow Adrian Knox Stakes nominee Zarzali who shoots for her third straight victory this weekend.
The lightly-raced Bart & James Cummings-trained daughter of Hussonet has had just the four starts to date and if accepted this Saturday will be racing in stakes company for the first time.
The other most notable 2015 Australian Oaks-bound fillies nominated for Saturday’s lead-up are Tim Martin’s Vinery Stud Stakes failure (10th) Heavens Above ($21) and Maastricht ($26) for Team Hawkes who comes off a third to Chill Party in the Group 2 Alister Clark Stakes (2040m) at Moonee Valley.
Others in the mix include John Sargent’s improver Gust Of Wind coming off back-to-back wins, Lindsay Park’s recent Group 2 Kewney Stakes winner over 1400m at Flemington Wawail and the Gai Waterhouse-trained Phar Lap Stakes third past the post Supara.
Check out the full Adrian Knox Stakes 2015 nominations in the table below then for all the autumn’s hottest racing odds, including those for the Oaks, head over to Ladbrokes.com.au!
2015 Adrian Knox Stakes Nominations
Royal Randwick Racecourse – 04/04/2015
| # | Form (Last 10) | Horse | Trainer | H. Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | x121425x08 | ABDUCTION | John O’Shea | 82 |
| 2 | x3221x9446 | AMICUS | Chris Waller | 98 |
| 3 | 218×3844 | ARIANNE (NZ) | Pat Hyland | 62 |
| 4 | 521×114 | BALLET SUITE | Chris Waller | 95 |
| 5 | 1x2237x887 | CANDELARA | Bjorn Baker | 71 |
| 6 | 070×8821 | CENTEROFATTENTION | Gregory Hickman | 63 |
| 7 | 3x360x6116 | CHOIX DE MAIA (NZ) | Pat Carey | 67 |
| 8 | 14×683 | FINDA FITTER FILLY | John & Chris Ledger | 63 |
| 9 | 4×11 | GUST OF WIND (NZ) | John Sargent | 63 |
| 10 | 3230 | HEAVENS ABOVE | Tim Martin | 68 |
| 11 | 42×11 | JOYFUL JOURNEY | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | 68 |
| 12 | 845×42494 | LA STUPENDA | Kerry Parker | 57 |
| 13 | x6470x2540 | LADY MACAN | David Payne | 65 |
| 14 | 1x122x4533 | MAASTRICHT (NZ) | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | 77 |
| 15 | 5124×3221 | RUSTIC MELODY | Kris Lees | 66 |
| 16 | 742224×838 | SANDY WATERS | Paul Cave | 52 |
| 17 | 212×023 | SUPARA | Gai Waterhouse | 88 |
| 18 | 1x11x1313 | WAWAIL | David Hayes & Tom Dabernig | 94 |
| 19 | 12x2152x62 | WINE TALES | Chris Waller | 82 |
| 20 | 1x122x7515 | WINX | Chris Waller | 96 |
| 21 | 6311 | ZARZALI | Bart & James Cummings | 66 |
