57 Fillies in Australian Oaks First Acceptances

First acceptances closed for the 2015 Australian Oaks this afternoon (Tuesday) with 57 three-year-old fillies remaining in contention for the $1 million race on April 11, which is down from the original 120 that were nominated last month.

First Seal leads the Group 1 Australian Oaks first acceptances after two strong starts to the season.

First Seal leads the Group 1 Australian Oaks first acceptances after two strong starts to the season. Photo by Steve Hart.

All the big names from the nominations remain in contention for the Group 1 Australian Oaks (2400m), which is running on day two of The Championships series, with John Thompson’s First Seal continuing to lead the field. The filly is the only nominated horse with a handicap rating over 100, and it has even grown by three points since the nominations.

First Seal had yet to resume her autumn campaign when nominations closed on February 7 but has since had two successful starts. The filly enjoyed plenty of success during the spring and is already a winner at the highest level of racing after scoring the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) on October 4, after which she was runner-up in the Group 1 Champion Stakes (2000m) just one week later.

Following a four month spell, First Seal resumed in the Group 2 Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) on February 14. It was a solid run from the filly but she was simply outrun by Gai Waterhouse’s Adrift, finishing three-quarters of a length behind the winner in second place.

She returned to the winner’s circle two weeks later, confidently winning the Group 2 Surround Stakes (1400m) ahead of many of her Light Fingers rivals.

Jason Coyle’s Slightly Sweet is a new nominated filly that was previously not mentioned, impressing with her two minor placings in the Light Fingers and Surround Stakes last month.

Adrift has seen her handicap rating jump almost 30 places after winning the Light Fingers Stakes despite a starting price of $41; however she couldn’t duplicate her success in the Surround Stakes, finishing midfield in seventh place.

Chris Waller’s four nominated fillies – Amicus, Ballet Suite, Wine Tales, and Winx – all remain in the Australian Oaks first acceptances.

Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) winner Amicus has run unplaced in both of her two campaign starts while Ballet Suite won the Colin Glover Handicap (1400m) on resuming three weeks ago. Wine Tales resumed in the Surround Stakes on February 28, finishing midfield in sixth place.

Winx won the Group 2 Furious Stakes (1200m) back in September but was in the shadow of First Seal in both the Group 2 Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) and Flight Stakes. She was expected to excel on her return in the Light Fingers Stakes but was a disappointing seventh. The filly also failed to make anything of the Surround Stakes, finishing five lengths off the winner in fifth place.

Ciaron Maher’s Set Square won the Group 1 Crown Oaks (2500m) on November 6 and got her autumn off to a good start in the Group 3 Vanity (1400m) on February 21, finishing half a length off winner Sweet And Speedy in second place.

# Horse Trainer Weight Hcp Rating
1 ADRIFT (NZ) Gai Waterhouse 56kg 90
2 AMICUS Chris Waller 56kg 99
3 ARIANNE (NZ) Pat Hyland 56kg N/A
4 BALLET SUITE Chris Waller 56kg 67
5 BETSY Peter G Moody 56kg N/A
6 BILLIE FRECHETTE (NZ) Ciaron Maher 56kg N/A
7 CANDELARA Bjorn Baker 56kg 72
8 CASHLA BAY David Hayes & Tom Dabernig 56kg N/A
9 CHARMONT Murray Baker 56kg N/A
10 CLOUDBURST Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes 56kg N/A
11 COFFEE HIT Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes 56kg 63
12 EAST AFRIKA Pat Carey 56kg N/A
13 FENWAY Lee & Shannon Hope 56kg N/A
14 FIRST SEAL John P Thompson 56kg 106
15 GIROUETTE John O’Shea 56kg N/A
16 GRANNY SMITH Anthony Cummings 56kg 57
17 HEAVENS ABOVE Tim Martin 56kg 63
18 HIGH ABOVE Anthony Cummings 56kg 68
19 HIPSTER GIRL Jason Warren 56kg N/A
20 IN A JIFFY (NZ) John Sargent 56kg N/A
21 JOYFUL JOURNEY Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes 56kg 64
22 LA STUPENDA Kerry Parker 56kg N/A
23 LADY MACAN David Payne 56kg 66
24 LAMPLIGHTER Clarry Conners 56kg 62
25 LINSANG John O’Shea 56kg N/A
26 LUXURY Danny Williams 56kg 61
27 MAASTRICHT (NZ) Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes 56kg 77
28 MARY QUANT (NZ) Lance O’Sullivan 56kg N/A
29 MISS INTERIORS Anthony Cummings 56kg 64
30 MUSCOVADO Gai Waterhouse 56kg 70
31 NAKATAAN (NZ) Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes 56kg N/A
32 NINTH CHANCE John Sargent 56kg N/A
33 PIPI BEEL (NZ) Murray Baker 56kg N/A
34 RAINDROPS ON ROSES Nigel Blackiston 56kg N/A
35 RUSTIC MELODY Kris Lees 56kg 66
36 SAAVOYA (NZ) Murray Baker 56kg N/A
37 SENSE IN THE CITY Pat Carey 56kg N/A
38 SET SQUARE Ciaron Maher 56kg N/A
39 SIDRAH Danny Williams 56kg 53
40 SIGNATURE MISS Kerry Parker 56kg N/A
41 SLIGHTLY SWEET Jason Coyle 56kg 86
42 STRATALENA Clarry Conners 56kg 61
43 SWEET AND SPEEDY Peter G Moody 56kg N/A
44 SWIFT LADY (NZ) John Sargent 56kg 65
45 TALISA Gai Waterhouse 56kg 62
46 TELAAWA David Hayes & Tom Dabernig 56kg N/A
47 THUNDER LADY (NZ) John Sargent 56kg 97
48 TIARE Gai Waterhouse 56kg 62
49 TWIRL Gai Waterhouse 56kg N/A
50 VAVASOUR (NZ) Peter J Williams 56kg N/A
51 VIA CAVOUR Mark Webb 56kg N/A
52 WILDENSTEIN Paul Perry 56kg 65
53 WINE TALES Chris Waller 56kg 76
54 WINTER SWEET Gai Waterhouse 56kg N/A
55 WINX Chris Waller 56kg 96
56 ZARZALI Bart & James Cummings 56kg 66
57 ZILLOW Ron Quinton 56kg N/A

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