Saturday week’s 2018 Oakleigh Plate could see a clash between gun fillies She Will Reign and Booker after the latter’s win in the Group 3 $150,000 Kevin Hayes Stakes (1200m) on C.F. Orr Stakes Day.
Kevin Hayes Stakes winner Booker could be 2018 Oakleigh Plate bound on Blue Diamond Stakes Day this autumn. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
Earlier in Sydney the returning Gary Portelli-trained She Will Reign saluted for the punters first-up in the Inglis Sprint ahead of her likely second-up run on February 24 at Caulfield Racecourse in the Group 1 $500,000 Oakleigh Plate (1100m).
Rival trainer Mathew Ellerton is now also considering dropping the stable’s gun daughter of Written Tycoon, Booker, back to the 1100m for an Oakleigh Plate bid on Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes Day after she kicked off her Melbourne Festival or Racing campaign with a Group 3 win.
“Possibly we might go back to 1100 and run her in the Oakleigh Plate,” Ellerton, who trains in partnership with Simon Zahra, said post-win on Saturday.
“Sprinting three-year-olds in the autumn, there’s not much for them.
“We really did consider running her in the Rubiton Stakes today, but she’ll be much improved from the run.”
An underrated filly full of potential, Booker enjoyed a Group 2 Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) win over Shoals at Caulfield last October.
She backed-up in the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) but didn’t quite see out the mile running sixth to Aloisia.
Returning to the Caulfield track first-up in the Kevin Hayes Stakes, Booker ($4.60) reunited with her regular rider Dwayne Dunn and together the duo led all-the-way to beat home the fast-finishing Darren Weir-trained Leather’n’Lace ($19) by a length and a half.
“These are probably the best fillies in Australia at the minute and that was like a Group 1 race,” winning hoop Dunn said.
In third rounding out the Kevin Hayes Stakes trifecta a further half-length back was the rails-drawn See Me Exceed ($21) from the local stables of Mick Price.
Ellerton was thrilled with both the ride from Dunn and the result, Booker looking bigger and better this autumn.
“Dwayne controlled the race and she cornered a bit better than what she did in the spring as a three-year-old,” he said.
“She was terrific really.
“She’s a pretty impressive sort of filly now. She looks like a big three-year-old colt.
“Hopefully she pulls up well and we can move forward with her this prep.”
Pre-field Oakleigh Plate odds at Ladbrokes.com.au are now open with Booker set to firm in her price to possibly take on the likes of Russian Revolution and She Will Reign.
2018 Kevin Hayes Stakes Results
Caulfield Race 5 – 10/02/2018
| Place | # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Br. | Weight | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | BOOKER | Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra | Dwayne Dunn | – | 6 | 57kg | $4.40 |
| 2 | 4 | LEATHER’N’LACE | Darren Weir | Damian Lane | 1.5L | 4 | 55kg | $18 |
| 3 | 9 | SEE ME EXCEED | Mick Price | Michael Walker | 2.5L | 1 | 55kg | $21 |
| 4 | 2 | TULIP | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | Kerrin McEvoy | 3.75L | 3 | 57kg | $4 |
| 5 | 5 | MAGNESIUM ROSE | Matthew Lindsay | Luke Currie | 4.5L | 9 | 55kg | $41 |
| 6 | 6 | SMART COUPE | Mathew Ellerton & Simon Zahra | Craig Williams | 4.9L | 5 | 55kg | $7.50 |
| 7 | 8 | ULTRA SMART | Pat Carey | Rhys McLeod | 5.4L | 7 | 55kg | $61 |
| 8 | 1 | SHOALS | Anthony Freedman | Mark Zahra | 7.15L | 2 | 58kg | $2.80F |
| 9 | 7 | WOOSHKA | Peter & Paul Snowden | Michael Dee | 11.15L | 8 | 55kg | $41 |
| – | 10 | MISS OKLAHOMA | Mick Price | Damien Oliver | – | 0 | – | – |
