A look into the pedigrees of this year’s VRC Oaks field
The feature of Day 3 of Thursday's third day of the Mebourne Cup Carnival is the $1 million Group 1 VRC Oaks, which will see 14 fillies tackle 2500 metre for the first time.
We've looked into the pedigrees of each runner to see who might be best-equipped to run out the Oaks distance.
1 – TROPICAL SQUALL (Prized Icon x Squalls)
By a VRC Derby winner who carried the same colours that this Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained filly competes under. That might have contributed to Gooree Park Stud's desire to buy her for $16,000 at the 2021 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale. Tropical Squall is out of a daughter of Fusaichi Pegasus who is from a family that is predominantly sprinter/milers, with third dam Gold Hope a winner of the Doncaster Mile, while Thousand Guineas (1600) winner Flit also features on the page.
2 – ZARDOZI (Kingman x Chanderi)
By the Juddmonte stallion who has had feature winners a variety of distances and almost won a Melbourne Cup last year with his son Emissary beating home all bar Gold Trip. Zardozi was conceived in Europe before travelling to Australia in-utero with his dam Chanderi a daughter of Silk Sari (Dalakhani), who was a Group 2 winner over 2900m in England and finished second in the Group 1 British Champions F&M Stakes (2412m).
3 – AMAZONIAN LASS (More Than Ready x Dynastic Lady)
By the stallion who has produced more winners than any other sire and although two of his biggest wins in Australia came in the Golden Slipper, thanks to Sebring and Phelan Ready, he is also the sire of Group 1 Derby winners Prized Icon, Eagle Way and Dreamaway. Dynastic Lady's first foal Riverplate (Flying Artie) is a winner up to 1800m in Melbourne, while her brother Age Of Fire was a winner of the Group 1 Levin Classic (1600m) in NZ. Amazonian Lass, a $325,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast buy, hails from a strong European miler family but there is some Oaks form on the page with her granddam Dragon's Tail a three-quarter-sister to Fallen In Love (Galileo), who finished second in a Group 2 Lancashire Oaks and is the dam of Group 3 winner Loving Things, who finished third in the Lancashire Oaks.
4 – Served Cold (Shamus Award x So You Can)
Not many in the field boast the Oaks pedigree of this Danny O'Brien filly, who is a sister to ATC Australian Oaks (2400m) heroine El Patroness. Their dam Sure You Can, a daughter of O'Reilly, was a two-time Flemington winner over 2000m and has not only thrown an Oaks winner of her own, but is a sister to Group 3 Tasmanian Derby (2200m) winner Betwixt, who is the dam of Queensland Oaks winner Provocative, a daughter of Zabeel.
5 – Harlow Mist (Contributer x Sila Jasak)
The $85,000 Karaka yearling is by a son of High Chaparral who won a Group 1 Ranvet Stakes at 2000m and is a Group 1-winning sire thanks to Randwick Guineas winner Lion's Roar. Sila Jasak is a daughter of the speedy Cullen but is a daughter of Grand Archway, who was the standout staying filly of her generation, winning the VRC and ATC Australian Oaks at Group 1 level and was placed in the ATC Australian Derby, Australasian Oaks and SA Oaks when that 2500m event carried Group 1 status. Grand Archway is also the dam of Listed Sky High Stakes winner Seul Amour (Zabeel) and Stand Tall (Zabeel), a Group 3 winner over 2500m in New Zealand.
6 – COCO SUN (The Autumn Sun x Miss Hufflepuff)
Member of the first crop of a former star 3YO colt who is a son of Redoute's Choice, who produced Miss Finland and Samantha Miss to win the VRC Oaks. Miss Hufflepuff, a daughter of Encosta de Lago, won up to 2000m and is a sister to Liberator, who won the Champion Stayer award in Hong Kong, having won the Champions & Chater Cup (2400m). Group 2 The Roses winner Etana is also in the family, being a daughter of Pink Siris, another sister to Miss Hufflepuff.Coco Sun cost $250,000 at Inglis Classic.
7 – Basilinna (Staphanos x So Royal)
Homebred member of the first crop of the Japanese stallion, a son of the immortal Deep Impact, whose standout product to date is Group 1 NZ Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) winner Pignan. So Royal is a daughter of Shinko King who won up to 2000m and is from the Kaapstad mare Queen Of The Cape, who is a half-sister to two-time Group 1 Derby winner and Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) winner Silver Lad.
8 – Aethelflaed (Saxon Warrior x Chasing Mammon)
Another homebred who is by a son of Deep Impact out of a Giant's Causeway mare who is a half-sister to the nippy Zelsnitz but has proven herself a quality producer of stayers already, having thrown New Zealand Derby winner Sherwood Forest. Second dam Eiyshin Maysville is a half-sister to Holy Roman Emperor (Danehill), who was the champion 2YO colt in France in 2006 and won the Phoenix Stakes and Grand Criterium at Group 1 level.
9 – Wings Of Song (Mendelssohn x Tortoni)
Might be by a sire Aussie racing fans don't know much about, being a first-crop member of the son of Scat Dady, but from a female family who is very well-known. Tortoni is by Strategic but is out of Whiskey Road mare Whisked who ran second to Weekend Delight in the 1990 VRC Oaks. Tortoni is a half-sister to 13-time Group 1 winner Tie The Knot and is the dam of four others to race, including Cherry Tortoni (Night Of Thunder), who won a Group 2 Moonee Valley Vase and finished fourth in the 2020 Victoria Derby.
10 – ETHEL MAUDE (Smart Missile x Lola Betty)
First foal of Crowded House mare Lola Betty, who is a daughter of Flametree Of Thika, a daughter of Kisumu, who knows how to throw a Classic winner. Her first foal was SA Derby winner Zabeelionaire and her second to race was Queensland Oaks winner Gondokoro. They were both by Zabeel, whereas Ethel Maude is by Smart Missile, whose best are all sprinters.
11 – PEAKY RIDGE (Shamoline Warrior x Miss Peaky)
By a sire who was a short-priced favourite for the Victoria Derby, only to be scratched on race morning, from an unraced Strategic Maneuver mare whose only other to race is Real Peaky, a son of Highland Reel whose best result from six starts is a third placing in a 2040m Benalla maiden.
12 – Vieste (Maurice x Blazing Dragon)
Another from Inglis Classic, this $95,000 buy is a daughter of former star Japanese miler who has thrown a Victoria Derby winner (Hitotsu) from a Pendragon mare who won out to 2200m. Blazing Dragon is from the Red Ransom mare Utah Red, who is a half-sister to Listed Ethereal Stakes (2000m) winner Alzora (Redoute's Choice), who is the dam of VRC St Leger winner Sacramento, a son of Pierro.
13 – Another You (Frosted x Bahamas)
By a star sprinter but from a family who has had quite an impact on some Australian staying Classics in recent years. Bahamas, who is by Melbourne Cup-winning sire Teofilo, is out of the Black Hawk mare St Trinians, who counts Group 1 Australasian Oaks placegetter and Group 2 Matriarch Stakes (2000m) winner Affair To Remember as a daughter. Bahamas' first foal was Qld Derby (2400m) runner-up and Hong Kong star Senor Toba (Toronado), while her third foal was Group 2 Moonee Valley Vase (2040m) winner and one-time Victoria Dery favourite Berkeley Square (Territories)
14 – Everlasting Kiss (Justify x Tears Of Joy)
By a US Triple Crown winner from a Street Cry mare who traces back to one of Australasia's all-time great families. Tears Of Joy is out of the Danehill mare Lucida, a sister to VRC and ATC Oaks runner-up Flora Danica whose dam Peruzzi (Zabeel) is out of a half-sister to Octagonal, Kaapstad and Mouawad, with Derby winner Don Eduardo and Oaks winner Tristalove among other relations.
