Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Veteran horseman Mike Reed is the most successful trainer in the 56-year history of the WA Oaks, and he is planning to break the recent trend of favourites failing in the $150,000 feature for three-year-old fillies by winning the rich classic at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He is pinning his faith on the brilliant Water Lou, who has amassed $421,494 from 21 wins and two second placings from 27 starts.
Water Lou is favourably drawn at the No. 3 barrier and will be driven by leading reinsman Shannon Suvaljko. She is a hot odds-on favourite, but that is no guarantee of success, considering that the past six WA Oaks favourites have been beaten.
What is more likely is that this week’s event will provide a thrilling finish. The margins in the past five Oaks have been a neck (Has No Fear in 2019), a head (Sports Package, 2020), a head (Benesari Lane, 2021), a half-head (Taking The Miki, 2022) and a nose (August Moon, 2023).
August Moon was the $2.60 second favourite when she beat Turn The Page 12 months ago. In the previous five Oaks the winners were Our Major Mama ($139.80), Has No Fear ($37.40), Sports Package ($16), Benesari Lane ($109) and Taking The Miki ($10.20).
The most recent Oaks favourite to win was Maczaffair, who was a $1.10 chance from the No. 1 barrier in May 2017 when Suvaljko drove the Reed-trained filly to an easy all-the-way victory over Sarah Goody.
Reed and Suvaljko also combined to win the 2014 Oaks with the $1.10 favourite Libertybelle Midfrew, who led from barrier five and beat The Parade by seven lengths.
Reed also trained and drove the 6/1 chance Pharosan, who came home strongly with an inside run to beat the 5/4 on favourite Cornsilk in 2000. He also was successful with Sheer Royalty (driven by Chris Lewis) in 2009.
Reed’s four Oaks wins as a trainer give him the record in this classic — ahead of Fred Kersley Jnr, Trevor Warwick and Justin Prentice, each of whom has won the race three times.
Of quite significant importance in Friday night’s race is the fact that none of the twelve runners has contested a race over 2536m.
Two fillies, the Kim Prentice-trained Soho Honey Rider and Soho Vesper Lind, have raced over 2400m at Menangle — with Soho Honey Rider finishing third in a heat of the New South Wales Oaks and sixth in the final, and Soho Vesper Lind finishing ninth in an Oaks heat.
Suvaljko said that the extra distance would not bother Water Lou. “She works over a mile and a half (2400m) all the time and she finishes better than anything,” he said. “She worked well last Saturday, and she is still on target. I’ll weigh up my options and determine my tactics as the race unfolds.”
It was a rare occurrence last Friday week when Water Lou was unplaced in a race. She was the $1.70 favourite and was restrained at the start from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line of the group 3 Daintys Daughter Classic over 2130m.
She raced in tenth position before starting a three-wide move approaching the bell. With Soho Honey Rider setting the pace, the third quarter was covered in a slick 27.9sec. and was followed by a final 400m of 29.1sec. Atlantic Gem, who trailed Soho Honey Rider, finished strongly to win by a length from that filly, rating 1.56.4sec. Water Lou finished fifth, four lengths behind the winner.
“It was just how the race was run,” said Suvaljko. “When we were off the track (in the final lap) everything sprinted. I would suggest it would pay to forget that run.”
Reed also has a good second string in Friday night’s race in Lion Queen, a winner at four of her seven starts. She had an easy run when won by four lengths from Reelem Inn over 2130m on Tuesday of last week. She will be driven for the first time by Aiden De Campo.
Atlantic Gem, to be driven by Kyle Symington for trainer Ryan Bell, is awkwardly drawn at barrier seven. “It looks a good competitive race,” said Bell. “And Atlantic Gem is not without a chance.”
Mitch Miller has chosen to drive Soho Honey Rider in preference to Kim Prentice’s other runners Soho Vesper Lind and Lenora Jane. Corey Peterson will drive Soho Vesper Lind (barrier nine), and Jocelyn Young will handle Lenora Jane from barrier six.
“Soho Honey Rider (barrier four) is definitely the pick of the three fillies,” said Prentice. “She has trained on extremely well over the past couple of weeks. We will do our homework before deciding whether to press forward with her.”
Prentice has high hopes that Soho Honey Rider will give him his fourth win in the WA Oaks — after training Onassis Legacy (driven by Craig Goldfinch) for her win in 2003; driving the Noel Keiley-trained Dilingers Reign to victory over Fluent Style in 2006; and driving Benesari Lane for her win in 2021.
Xceptional Arma has drawn the prized No. 1 barrier for trainer Colin Brown, who drove the Greg Bond-trained Millwood Meg to an all-the-way win in the 2010 WA Oaks.
Xceptional Arma, who will be driven by Maddison Brown, has the ability to win on Friday night. She is versatile and boasts a splendid record of 33 starts for 12 wins, eight seconds and four thirds for stakes of $310,744.
Four starts ago Xceptional Arma raced three back on the pegs before running home solidly along the sprint lane to finish second to Water Lou in Pinjarra’s Daintys Daughter Classic.
The highlight of her career was when she won the group 1 Westbred Classic for two-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park in September 2023. She beat I Cross My Heart by two lengths, with Water Lou finishing sixth after starting from the back line and moving to the breeze after a lap.
“I’m happy with the draw, and aim to be coming out hard,” said Maddison Brown. “She raced in the breeze at her latest start (when sixth behind Atlantic Gem in the Daintys Daughter Classic at Gloucester Park last Friday week) and her run before that was very good (when fifth in the Westbred Classic when hampered by a flat sulky tyre).
“I’m not quite sure about her ability to run a strong race over 2536m. I like her over a mile because she can pull over that distance because it doesn’t matter. I’ll be happy if she doesn’t get too keen and settles down.”
The only New Zealand-bred runner in Friday night’s race is the Stuart McDonald-trained and driven Madam Publisher, who is favourably drawn on the inside of the back line. She has won at six of her ten starts and is capable of causing an upset.