Provocative takes her place in Queensland Oaks

Kiwi filly Provocative will take her place in the rescheduled Group 1 $500,000 Treasury Casino & Hotel Queensland Oaks (2400m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Imposing Lass, above, heads the market order for the Queensland Oaks at Eagle Farm. Photo by Steve Hart.

Imposing Lass, above, heads the market order for the Queensland Oaks at Eagle Farm. Photo by Steve Hart.

Cambridge trainer Tony Pike had contemplated backing up Provocative in the Group 1 $600,000 Channel Seven Queensland Derby (2400m) on Saturday when the Queensland Oaks was supposed to be run at Eagle Farm last week before the meeting was washed out.

The Queensland Oaks was then transferred to the Stradbroke Handicap program this weekend and Pike was considering not running against the fillies but take on the colts and geldings in the Queensland Derby.

But in the end Pike has decided to keep the Zabeel filly against her own sex and she will line up in the fillies classic.

Provocative was originally the first emergency and only found a spot in the field when Beluga Blue was ruled out with a leg injury, but was out of luck at the barrier draw, coming up gate twenty, but will probably jump from sixteen when the final field in reduced to eighteen at scratching time on Saturday morning.

Top Kiwi jockey Leith Innes takes over from Vinnie Colgan who rode the filly to a two and a quarter lengths win in a 2190m three year old handicap at Ipswich on May 18.

The 2400m of the Queensland Oaks shouldn’t be a problem for Provocative who is the winner of three of her six race starts and the Kiwi filly first showed her staying ability with a win over 2100m at Ellerslie on February 4 when she won a Rating 65 Handicap by four lengths.

Provocative is prominent in the Queensland Oaks market order at $8 with Ladbrokes.com.au who have the Bjorn Baker trained Imposing Lass at the top of the market order at $$6.50.

Queensland Oaks market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $6.50 Imposing Lass, $7 Falkenberg, $8 Provocative, $9 Dawnie Perfect, $9,50 Romantic Maid, $12 Ambience, $13 Kebede, $14 Chabaud, $15 Self Esteem, $17 Tavi Bay, Sebring Sally, $20 Alaskan Rose, $26 Tap This, Dulverton, $31 Sahara Siren, $34 Zasorceress, Ashlee Marie, $51 Mount Omei, Queen Of Wands, $61 Zafiki, $71 Meru.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.