Racing: Oaks winner to keep until summer

There was little joy for the Kiwis at Eagle Farm, but Ekstreme (outer) ran third in the Brisbane Cup. Photo / Supplied

Queensland Oaks winner Miss Keepsake, an unlucky third in the Queensland Derby at Eagle Farm on Saturday, is likely to bypass the rich Melbourne Spring Carnival, Matamata trainer Andrew Scott said yesterday.

"Chris Munce thought she would be up to the Caulfield Cup, but it is tough after a Brisbane carnival to get them ready for the Melbourne spring," said Scott.

"We will bring her home and probably give her a decent break and crank her up for the summer."

He said her initial target might be the Auckland Christmas carnival, with the Zabeel Classic (2000m) an attractive proposition.

"Getting her to Sydney in the autumn would be the next plan of attack."

Miss Keepsake lost no admirers in the Queensland Derby, being held up several times in the straight before flashing home for third behind a decisive winner in Dariana and Kutchinsky. Another New Zealander, Keyora, was a game fourth, with pacemaker Sir Time Keeper sixth and The Hombre ninth.

Ironically, Dariana was left in the gates when Miss Keepsake won the Queensland Oaks a week earlier and then got a perfect run with Michael Rodd aboard on Saturday, claiming the race by 4 lengths.

"That's the luck in racing. We had the luck the week before and Dariana had the luck this week," said Scott.

"One of the others stopped too quickly early in the straight and stopped all our momentum and when she got going again, she got held up a couple of times again. She probably wouldn't have beaten Dariana but she would likely have finished second."

Still, it was an amazing few days for Scott, who claimed his first group one winner as a solo trainer in the Oaks, as well as winning with Pennacchio on the same card and gaining the listed Castletown Stakes at Foxton last Monday with Extra Explosive.

"It's been a very exciting time," he said.

Pennacchio is to contest the group one Winter Stakes at Eagle Farm (1400m) on June 26 and would be a good chance if the track was wet, Scott said.

It was a tough day for the New Zealand horses at Eagle Farm, as they missed the major prizes, but the expats were in great form.

Sydney-based Chris Waller continued his amazing run when Pressday won the group one TJ Smith Stakes (1600m) for 2-year-olds.

Waller, who was based at Foxton before moving to Sydney, shares in the ownership of Pressday with his wife, Stephanie, and long-time New Zealand client Tony Muollo.

It was Waller's fifth group one win this season.

Former New Zealand galloper Crossthestart won the group two A$305,000 Brisbane Cup for expatriate New Zealand trainer Bevan Laming and his son, Richard. The horse is raced by Queenslander Dick Karreman, who owns The Oaks Stud at Cambridge.

The Bryce-Revell trained Ekstreme steamed home from the tail of the field along the rails to grab third, with Tinseltown (9th), Indikator (10th), Sir Slick (11th), Castle Heights (12th), Court Ruler (15th) and Vickezzchardonnay (16th).

In the Stradbroke Handicap, the Stephen McKee-trained runners Culminate and King Mufhasa finished sixth and seventh. While King Mufhasa led from his wide barrier draw and boxed on valiantly, Culminate stormed home to finish in the top bunch of six. Black Piranha won by a short half-head from Melito, with a long head back to Mic Mac, with Beaded, Albert The Fat and Culminate close up in that order.

- NZPA