The third Fahey-trained finalist is this season’s Springston Hotel New Zealand Breeders Stakes winner Opawa Schofer, also meaning that breeder and owner Opawa Racing have three New Zealand Oaks contenders, after the Faheys have already prepared five previous Oaks winners for them.
Opawa Schofer finished resolutely for her two-and-a-half-length heat second place to Goldstar Mila. She will be sighted wearing the black racing vest in the final.
“She’s definitely up to this level - she just needs clear early racing room from out there. All three of our runners are all set to go,” confirmed Fahey.
Riley Evans presented the open class-assessed Goldstar Mila to take out her heat in 30.30s, after she effectively used her one-trap draw to set up the pace. She has to contend with trap five on Friday.
“I’m really happy with the way she’s racing at the moment. She had a good hit-out in her heat, and she has improved her 520m PB from 30.80 down to 30.30. Her draw is a little bit niggly, so she absolutely needs to get out quickly,” said Evans.
The Goldstar Racing team will have their eight-and-a-quarter-length heat runner-up to Opawa Susan, Goldstar Remi, exiting from the ace trap.
“She’s a good chance, although that depends on her beginning. I would have preferred her to have drawn wider as she tends to move out early, therefore I’m hoping she comes out humming. She will be hard to beat if she’s in the leading group rounding the first turn,” suggested Evans, who added: “Both of our runners are sound and ready to go.”
The nation’s leading conditioner Lisa Cole, who has prepared four previous New Zealand Oaks winners, is returning south with a pair of finalists. Included is the only Australian-bred runner in the field, Writ Large.
Writ Large, who is the only other C5-graded chaser in the final, handled her track debut task in style when she was sighted chasing after the freewheeling Opawa Susan and she was cut out of second during the run home when she was hauled back in by a head.
She has a kind draw in two for the final and her handlers expect her to use her known early pace to feature for a long way and be at least a chance of placing, with natural improvement.
“This girl can run like the wind. She has blistering early sectionals; however, it’s the back end of 520m that is the worry. I’m more hopeful than confident,” advised Brendon Cole from the kennels that commence Friday’s racing sitting on 699 training success winners for the current season, while also poised to rush through the $3 million stakes earning barrier.
Kennelmate Midnight Brockie stepped up to the mark when delivering her bold three-length track debut heat third placing to Opawa Katrina, after setting the pace. She is a daughter of All About Space, whose progeny has been sighted kicking some impressive goals.
“It was her first race down there and she led for fun. She has plenty of early pace and she would have taken improvement from her heat. Both of them pulled up all right from the heats,” said Cole.
The Garry Cleeve-trained Tess belied her current C2 grading when she was sighted doing her best work at the business end of her heat, when she rushed home to finish three-quarters of a length behind Opawa Katrina.
“She had a wee bit of luck in her heat to qualify. She has always shown strength and she is likely to finish up racing over distances. Her closing sectional is as strong as others - it will depend on much ground she gives away early,” Cleeve said.
The Group 1 $50,000 Rose & Thistle New Zealand Oaks is Race 8 at Addington on Friday night, and is timed to get under way at 7.57pm.
