Racing: Oaks distance suits top filly

NZ Herald·

26 Feb, 2015 04:00 PM4 mins to read

Photo / Thinkstock

If the usual Oaks rules apply at Alexandra Park tonight then The Orange Agent should finally assert herself as our best pacing filly.

For all the depth in the first group one of Auckland Cup Week, The Orange Agent looks the best filly in the classic and the best filly usually wins the Oaks.

In the past decade most winners of the Northern Oaks have been odds-on as the first step up to 2700m mobile sorts out the genuine superstar from the pretenders, with many winning by big margins.

If that trend of hard-run 2700m Oaks with nowhere to hide continues, then The Orange Agent is the only filly you want to be on.

She has been a consistent record breaker this season, smashing 2200m records and then the national 1700m last start, with her best performances when she can settle and then wind into her work.

That gives driver Maurice McKendry options from barrier four tonight.

"The draw is good and she can come off the gate well if I ask her," said McKendry.

"But if they go too hard early then she might even be better settling and coming into it later.

"I think she is right back to her best and with the times she has run the 2700m will suit her."

The Orange Agent has been quite dazzling when able to balance up then build momentum over the last lap of her races, but was still dominant enough to sit parked and beat Democrat Party in her record-run 1700m last start, so it will take something special to beat her tonight.

One filly at least capable of doing that is Supersonic Miss, who looked back to her best with a crushing win over many of these last Friday.

She also sat parked to win and her last 100m suggested a hard 2700m won't bother her either, so the pair deserve to be rated a fair distance in front of their rivals, with Democrat Party the only filly to have beaten them both in the same race so is the logical danger.

McKendry doesn't have the same options from the draws with Hughie Green in the Derby prelude, which has drawn a stunning field and should see a sub 2:40 for the 2200m.

That will make it hard on those trapped wide for any great period of the race but Hughie Green possibly deserves marginal favouritism over Follow The Stars, who should be better for his brave recent Victoria Derby efforts.

Tonight's free-for-all is the last build-up to next Friday's Auckland Trotting Cup and with natural improvement Smolda is the one to beat.

He hadn't raced for four months when he was a close third off a 45m handicap last Friday but returns to mobile 2200m conditions here and won't need to improve much fitness- wise to win.

Fittingly for Oaks night, the mares provide some of the best support races with Kincaslough good enough to overcome her 40m backmark in a rare mares-only trot, especially with only two rivals off the front line trimming up her handicap.

Lancewood Lizzie carries open-class form into the mare's mobile pace, including a win over Ohoka Punter two starts ago when she paced a 26-second last 400m.

She has also been close up behind Adore Me in three of her past four starts and is best drawn of the big names in race seven, in which she races for an Alex Park bonus.