Trainer John Sargent is already eyeing off another win in the Group 1 $1m Kennedy Oaks (2500m) at Flemington on November 7 after identifying several likely contenders in his Randwick stables.
Kirramosa, above, winning the 2013 Crown Oaks at Flemington. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
Sargent prepared Kirramosa to win the 2013 Fillies classic that was then known as the Crown Oaks, and has high hopes of finding the winning stall again from a small group of fillies headed up by the promising Foxborough.
Foxborough is yet to win from four race starts but Sargent is stamping her as a future staying filly after being placed twice over 1600m by the narrowest of margins at Randwick and Kembla Grange.
“I’ve got about three or four fillies that I’ve got in mind for the Oaks down there,” Sargent told Racenet.
“They can often come in waves of a season but I’ve got some nice fillies this season that could measure up.
“Foxborough is one, Aspect Ratio – a Declaration of War filly – is another and Shining Eagle is another one and they’ll all be aimed for down there.”
Sargent treats each filly individually in the early stages of their Oaks’ preparation, but he will program them to have their final lead up run to the Oaks in the Group 2 $300,000 Wakeful Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on Derby Day five days earlier.
Kirramosa won the Wakeful Stakes before winning the 2013 Oaks while the Sargent trained Luvaluva finished fourth in the 2017 Oaks after winning the Wakeful Stakes five days earlier.
“Luvaluva won first-up at Goulburn and Kirramosa went and won at Newcastle,” Sargent said.
“It doesn’t matter where they go in this age group to get a win and get a bit of confidence as long as they can stay.
“They don’t have to be in the city all the time because we just have to get them to Flemington happy.
“Now we’ve got all these options to race them either here (NSW) or there but I do think the Wakeful way into the Oaks is very hard to beat.”
Sargent’s latest runner in the Kennedy Oaks results in Miss Moana finishing ninth to Aristia last year while Thunder Lady was runner up to Set Square in 2014.
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