Racing: Should be the Darling

At first glance tonight's Victoria Oaks may seem relatively predictable. Molly Darling is clearly the best horse in the race, is drawn barrier one and has ample gate speed when required.

However, an abundance of horses outside her whose chances depend on getting to the front means the race may not be as simple as it appears.

Nonetheless after a stunning workout win on Saturday her trainer and driver Brent Mangos is confident about her chances.

On that occasion Molly Darling sprinted six lengths clear of Copper Beach, the winner of the 2004 Victoria Oaks, and ran her last 800 metres in a blistering 56.3 seconds.

"She trialled super on Saturday at Auckland," said Mangos.

"She's been over to Australia for the Breeders Crown and New South Wales Oaks before and the travel has never really bothered her. She seems good and I'm very happy with her."

Mangos and Molly Darling are staying at Victorian trainer John Caldow's property for a campaign that will include three main targets.

"Through this week's run she'll race in the Australian Oaks and then go on to the Breeders Crown. If anything she might improve with the run this week but she's pretty good, I'd say around 90 per cent."

With Molly Darling having already raced against some of the best fillies in Australia, Mangos is well aware of the strengths of most of his opponents tonight.

"Molly Darling has got good gate speed if I have to use it but there looks to be a lot of speed on the front line outside her," said Mangos.

"If they go hard that'll play into my hands because she follows speed so well. She'll be very hard to beat."

While many of those drawn outside her are very fast from behind the mobile, the horse who will make the race particularly interesting is the free-running Norwood Abbey.

Drawn on the outside of the front line, her tendency to pull ferociously leaves driver Daryl Douglas with little option but to forge to the front, almost irrespective of how much energy she will have to burn to get there.

Last week she set up a furious 1:58.8 tempo over tonight's Oaks distance and fought courageously, only being run down in the last stride by a horse who had a very economical trip.

Of the remainder the strongest opposition may come from the two horses who won the other Preludes last week, Ladyinred and Innocent Eyes.

The former has been the big improver amongst the local fillies, while the latter is a tough West Australian who has won all four of her starts in Victoria.

If the expected strong pace eventuates then her second line draw should be no disadvantage and her toughness will come to the fore.

Should Molly Darling win tonight, the muddied waters of the top three-year-old filly of the year may become a little clearer.

At the moment Foreal and Mainland Banner also have strong claims but another group one for Molly Darling may give her the edge, particularly when one considers that her win in last August's two-year-old Bendigo Breeders Crown counts towards her three-year-old season.

A win would also continue the strong recent record of New Zealand fillies in the Victoria Oaks, with the Geoff Small trained Copper Beach and Pullover Brown having won the last two runnings.