The form out of the Adrian Knox Stakes 2017 is unlikely to stack-up in next weekend’s ATC Oaks with the Group 3 on Doncaster Day won in an upset by the John Thompson-trained roughie Waking Moment.
It was one of the weaker editions of the $200,000 Group 3 Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m) at Royal Randwick on Day 1 of ‘The Championships’, a race that has provided two of the past four Australian Oaks winners.
Held on April 8, the Group 1 Australian Oaks (2400m) could be calling for this year’s Adrian Knox Stakes winner Waking Moment, although the form experts say she would be a beaten thing in a much tougher assignment.
A daughter of Authorized, the same sire of multiple Group 1 champion Hartnell, the filly came into the Doncaster Mile Day race on the back of a seventh in a Kembla Grange maiden over a mile on March 10.
As such she jumped at $26 odds at Ladbrokes.com.au, but was given a great ride on the rain-affected track by jockey Jason Collett.
The field in the last at Randwick on Saturday was led around by Almalita who was best out of the gates from barrier three and taken straight to the front by jockey Tim Clark.
Also up on the pace throughout were the likes of Face Like Thunder for Kris Lees who whipped up around the outside at the 1400m to get into second and High Impulse from out wide running around third and fourth.
By the turn for home, the consistent Toby Edmonds-trained Fallacy from Queensland coming off a Doomben win had moved up and was giving chase.
On the straight the well-backed Poet’s Voice filly Perfect Rhyme, last seen finishing fourth to Dawn Wall in the Group 3 Kembla Grange Classic (1600m), started to chime in.
She got her head in front of Fallacy, but it was Waking Moment who kept on coming down the outside in a fast-finishing effort.
In a photo Adrian Knox Stakes result the roughie Waking Moment got up narrowly to win from Perfect Rhyme, while the trifecta was rounded out by Fallacy who held for third.
A nice genuine speed in the race helped out the eventual winner, who ran out the extra distance enjoying the step-up to 2000m.
The form may not be the best to follow into the Australian Oaks field, but connections may be tempted to roll the dice with the latest winner of the Group 1 to come out of the Adrian Knox Stakes being Gust Of Wind (4th) in 2015.
Check out the updated ATC Oaks 2017 odds online now post the Adrian Knox Stakes results at Ladbrokes.com.au!
2017 Adrian Knox Stakes Results & Finishing Order
Randwick Race 10 – 01/04/2017
| Place | # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Br. | Wgt. | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | WAKING MOMENT | John P Thompson | Jason Collett | – | 10 | 56kg | $21 |
| 2 | 2 | PERFECT RHYME | Ron Leemon | Kerrin McEvoy | 0.1L | 8 | 57.5kg | $6 |
| 3 | 6 | FALLACY | Toby Edmonds | Hugh Bowman | 4.6L | 13 | 56kg | $26 |
| 4 | 7 | LAMMA HILTON | Anthony & Edward Cummings | Blake Shinn | 6.4L | 12 | 56kg | $26 |
| 5 | 4 | HIGH IMPULSE | James Cummings | Brenton Avdulla | 7.1L | 16 | 56kg | $9 |
| 6 | 1 | CAMBAGE | Scott Singleton | Ms Jess Taylor | 7.2L | 7 | 58kg | $21 |
| 7 | 14 | BLANCO CARA (NZ) | John P Thompson | Dean Yendall | 9.3L | 6 | 56kg | $26 |
| 8 | 9 | BAYSA (NZ) | Chris Waller | Tommy Berry | 9.7L | 1 | 56kg | $4.60F |
| 9 | 16 | USENA | Jason Coyle | Zac Purton | 10.4L | 4 | 56kg | $26 |
| 10 | 5 | ALMALITA | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Tim Clark | 10.9L | 3 | 56kg | $8.50 |
| 11 | 3 | MULL OVER | James Cummings | Glyn Schofield | 13.3L | 14 | 56kg | $7.50 |
| 12 | 10 | DANCING HARE | Lee & Anthony Freedman | Corey Brown | 15.2L | 2 | 56kg | $19 |
| 13 | 11 | RED HEAT | Keith Dryden & Scott Collings | Christian Reith | 22L | 5 | 56kg | $41 |
| 14 | 8 | LA CHATTE | John O’Shea | James Doyle | 26L | 15 | 56kg | $7.50 |
| 15 | 12 | FACE LIKE THUNDER | Kris Lees | Damien Oliver | 31.5L | 11 | 56kg | $26 |
| 16 | 13 | MATRON WILSON | Ron Quinton | Andrew Adkins (a) | 32.1L | 9 | 56kg | $31 |
| – | 17 | NATCHWHALI (NZ) | Tim Martin | Adam Hyeronimus | – | 0 | – | – |
