Kiwi filly Miss Mossman will take her place in the 2014 Group 1 $1m ATC Australian Oaks (2400m) at Randwick on Saturday after overcoming a minor setback.
Lucia Valentina remains the Australian Oaks favourite after drawing barrier two. Photo by Steve Hart.
Randwick based New Zealand trainer John Sargent paid the $22,000 late entry after the Mossman filly was cleared after being treated for a mild respiratory infection.
Sargent brought Miss Mossman to Sydney for the Autumn Carnival after the filly won the Group 1 NZ$300,000 Wellfield New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham on March 15.
But she failed to perform at her first Australian start, finishing at the tail of the field in the Group 1 $400,000 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill on April 5 after over racing in the early and middle stages.
Miss Mossman’s bad luck has continued, coming up with barrier thirteen in the fifteen horse Australian Oaks field.
Sargent has advised Racing New South Wales stewards that he will be removing the blinkers from Miss Mossman and that his instructions to Nash Rawiller will be to have the filly in a more forward position in the early and middle stages of the race.
Australian Oaks favourite Lucia Valentina has drawn favourably at barrier two and the Kris Lees trained filly has a great chance to make it back to back Group 1 victories after winning the Vinery Stud Stakes on Golden Slipper Day.
Hugh Bowman will again be aboard Lucia Valentina while Golden Slipper winning jockey James McDonald will have the mount again on the Donna Logan trained Rising Romance who will jump from gate four.
The Ruakaka trained filly finished fourth to Lucia Valentina at Rosehill at her first Australian start after finishing second to Puccini in the Group 1 NZ$750,000 TV3 NZ Derby (2400m) at Ellerslie on March 1.
“She has really improved from that and taken a lot of improvement,” Logan told Racing Ahead.
“She just gets better and better with racing and over here she has improved in herself considerably.
“If I have any doubts it is going to be the track conditions.
“I think they are pretty water-logged now and there is just a cloud over how we go through it.
“That is the biggest threat I have.”
The Guy Walter trained Zanbagh has drawn gate six with Blake Shinn to ride again while Suavito from the Nigel Blackiston stable at Flemington has come up with the outside gate at fifteen with Damien Oliver to maintain his association with the Thorn Park filly.
Walter will also saddle up Missvonn (barrier 11) who is backing up after finishing second to Arabian Gold in the Group 3 $200,000 TAB Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m) at Randwick last Saturday with Craig Newitt retaining the ride.
The Australian Oaksmarket order with Ladbrokes.com.au sees Lucia Valentina as the $2.60 favourite ahead of Zanbagh at $5.50, Rising Romance at $6.50, Suavito at $11, Missvonn, Miss Selby and Interspersed at $15 while Miss Mossman is marked as a $26 chance alongside of Amanpour.
