Eagle Farm trainer Kelso Wood has Queensland Oaks ambitions for Elitist after the filly returned to the winner’s list at the Sunshine Coast last Saturday.

Trainer Kelso Wood has Queensland Oaks ambitions for his filly Elitist. Photo by Daniel Costello.

Elitist scored her second win from eleven starts in the $65,000 HMR Projects QTIS 3yo Handicap  over 1800m and Wood immediately started making plans to run the Stratum filly in the Group 1 $500,000 Treasury Casino & Hotel Queensland Oaks (2200m) at Doomben on May 30.

The Queensland Oaks is one of the major feature races during the Brisbane Winter Carnival and will be run at Doomben this year while the Eagle Farm track undergoes a complete overall.

Wood has always held a high opinion of Elitist but admits that it has taken a long time for the filly to regain her winning form after the prominent trainer thought he had a top two year old contender in his stable.

Elitist showed a ton of ability on the track before making her race day debut and Wood was anticipating gaining a start in the 2014 $2m Magic Millions 2yo Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast, but that didn’t eventuate.

“I was on the phone to her owner David Devine at the time and I told him I had just seen his next Magic Millions winner,” Wood told AAP.

“But nothing has gone right since. It has taken a long time to work her out.”

Elitist was sent out an odds on favourite at her debut in November 2013 but could only manage to finish third in a 1000m two year old handicap at Eagle Farm and she wasn’t able to record her maiden win until six runs later over 1200m at the Gold Coast a year later.

Wood has steadily increased the filly’s distance this campaign and she really appreciated the step up the 1800m at the Sunshine Coast last Saturday with a convincing one length win against the three year olds.