Racing: Scott hopes for winning Qld Oaks memento

Miss Keepsake's ambitious maiden Australian campaign reaches fruition at Eagle Farm on Saturday after the filly confirmed her group one debut in the Queensland Oaks.

Trained at Matamata by Andrew Scott, Miss Keepsake was one of 24 acceptors to make the 18-strong field in Brisbane and was allocated barrier 16 when the line-up, including five emergencies, was confirmed yesterday.

"We're over the moon," Scott said.

"It was the plan coming over here ... working our way through the grades out of town."

Buoyed by back-to-back wins in lower-profile meetings on the Sunshine Coast, Scott is cautiously optimistic ahead of Miss Keepsake's first exposure to top-quality opposition.

"She's fit enough, bright enough and she's handling the trip well," he said, hoping for a top-six finish.

"Her last run at Caloundra [May 23] was against a reasonably strong field.

"You'd say she shouldn't have won with the run she got in that race, but she was good enough to hold them at bay."

Miss Keepsake opened her transtasman excursion with victory on the Sunshine Coast on May 9 and after a six-race career that started at Tauranga last November, she has a respectable three wins and two minor placings for stakes money of A$19,156.

"She's been really promising on the way through the grades," Scott said.

He has also been encouraged by her efforts on the Sunshine Coast although the move to Brisbane undeniably represents a jump in class.

Bookmakers agree, with TAB Sportsbet quoting her at $17.

Scott is unworried about the 2400m journey, despite Miss Keepsake never having raced over that distance. Her recent successes were over 1800m.

"There's no concern with the trip, she'll run it out, a few won't," he said.

"She's got a real staying pedigree and has the right attributes. It's just whether she's good enough."

Miss Keepsake has thrived on dead and slow tracks since arriving and with Eagle Farm provisionally classified as dead Scott hopes the weather will continue to be kind to Brisbane's winter carnival.

"We're comfortable with the track where it's at, if it dried out a little bit it would probably bring us into it a touch more."

Chris Munce piloted her to success on the Sunshine Coast and has retained the mount in a field featuring four New Zealand runners.

Mike Moroney's Marheta is listed as the $6 second favourite behind Bart Cummings' Dariana ($3.60).

John Sargent's Spera ($9) is rated highly, particularly after drawing the plumb No 1 barrier, while Donna Logan's Cmon Cuba is an $81 outsider.

Sargent's confidence in Spera soared after her last-start fourth to Marheta in the group three Doomben Roses (2020m) last Saturday.

"It was a great run," Sargent said.

"She sat four wide right around the home turn and covered a lot of extra ground. She deserved to fall in a hole but she dug deep."

Dariana has barrier 19 but with all five emergencies drawing inside the Sir Frank Packer Plate winner she could jump from gate 14.

Miss Keepsake could also move in slightly.

Early joint second favourites, Marheta and the Peter Moody-trained Fairy Oak, experienced contrasting fortunes in the draw.

Marheta gained an advantage by drawing three while Fairy Oak drew barrier 21.

- NZPA