Wakeful Stakes winner Miami Bound (NZ) (Reliable Man) has drawn a middle barrier for her bid to emulate her dam Arapaho Miss (Danehill Dancer) in the Gr.1 VRC Oaks (2500m).
A field of 15 has been declared for Thursday’s Oaks for three-year-old fillies at Flemington, with the Danny O’Brien-trained filly drawing barrier eight with Damien Oliver to ride.
Miami Bound’s dam, Arapaho Miss, won the Oaks 12 years ago.
The Mark Kavanagh-trained Vegas Jewel (NZ) (Shocking) was a close second to Miami Bound in Saturday’s Gr.2 Wakeful Stakes (2000m) and she has drawn the outside barrier in the Oaks with the Archie Alexander-trained Gamay (Pierro), a $110,000 graduate of Highview Stud’s 2018 NZB Book 1 Yearling Sale, to jump from barrier one.
Gamay won another of the traditional Oaks lead-ups, the Gr.3 Ethereal Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield last start on October 19, beating Vegas Jewel.
Racing in the famous navy blue colours of Coolmore, Gamay has been ridden this preparation by Declan Bates but has been replaced in the Oaks by star English jockey Ryan Moore who is a retained rider for Coolmore.
Trainer Mitchell Freedman had Southern Moon finish second in the Group One Victoria Derby on Saturday and will he has another chance in one of the Flemington Classics, with Moonlight Maid (Puissance de Lune) in the Oaks.
Moonlight Maid, runner-up in the Group Two Vase at The Valley last start, has barrier 11 for Thursday’s race.
The 2015 Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Michelle Payne will ride maiden Victory Approach (Dawn Approach) in the Oaks, a filly Payne also trains.
