Favourite Silent Sedition has drawn well at barrier seven in a full field of sixteen in the Group 1 $400,000 Schweppes Oaks (registered as Australasian Oaks) (2000m) at Morphettville on Saturday.
Silent Sedition, green and black colours, white cap, has drawn nicely at barrier seven in the Australasian Oaks at Morphettville. Photo by Jenny Barnes.
The Andrew Noblet trained Silent Sedition earned her spot at the top of the betting at $5.50 with Ladbrokes.com.au after winning the Group 3 $120,000 Schweppervescence Stakes (Registered as Auraria Stakes) (1800m) at Morphettville on April 23 with Craig Williams in the saddle.
Williams takes the ride again and is confident that the War Chant filly will be hard to beat over the 2000m.
“This is a race that I always felt this whole preparation she might be suitable to,” Williams told racing.com.
“She’s quite brilliant, so I’m not too sure she gets much further.
“This is the best chance for her to win a Group 1 as a three-year-old filly, because the Australasian Oaks is the 10-furlong race where most other Oaks’ are 2400m, 2500m.
“It plays well for her and her run style.
“She won the traditional lead-up race into it [the G3 Auraria Stakes], but it is going to be a very strong race.”
Silent Sedition is the winner of three of her eight race starts and secured her maiden win at the beginning of this campaign with a four lengths victory in a 1400m Cranbourne Maiden on March 4.
She followed that up with a win in the Listed $150,000 Bendigo Guineas (1400m) at Bendigo on March 19 before finishing second in a 1600m three year old filly’s Handicap at Sandown on April 9 before her win in the Auraria Stakes.
Second favourite Abbey Marie ($6) has also drawn well at barrier three with Luke Nolen taking the mount again after the pair combined to win a 1440m three year old BenchMark 70 Handicap at Caulfield on April 23.
On the third line of betting at $7 is the West Australian trained filly Arcadia Dream who has been given the visitor’s drew, barrier twenty, and will still jump from the outside gate when the field if reduced to sixteen runners on Saturday.
Perth’s leading jockey William Pike has been aboard the filly for her last seven starts, including her last start win in the Group 2 $400,000 Schweppes W.A.T.C. Derby (2400m) at Ascot in Perth on April 16.
The Anthony Cummings trained Believe and John Sadler’s Bengal Cat are next in the betting at $8.50 and both fillies have also drawn awkwardly in the Australasian Oaks.
Believe with Kerrin McEvoy to ride drew barrier fourteen in the original draw and is coming off a last start third to Sofia Rosa in the Group 1 $1m James Boag’s Premium Australian Oaks (2400m) at Randwick on the second day of ‘The Championships’ on April 9.
While Bengal Cat, with Thomas Sadler to ride, came up with gate nineteen and is looking for a hat trick of wins following her victories in a 1600m three year old filly’s Handicap at Sandown on April 9 and in the $250,000 VOBIS Gold Reef (1600m) at Caulfield on April 16.
