OAKS A TOUGH RACE TO WIN.

The one thing I do know about the main race of the day today, THE W.A.OAKS, is that it is a very very difficult race to win. I am talking through experience when I say this as The Oaks is the only race on the local calendar that I have not been able to win yet!

Over the years I have had many runners in the race, some of them even starting favourite. I have won a number of Belmont Oaks and I have run plenty of placings including a second placing in the South Australian Oaks with PRIME AGAIN back in 1993. Invariably the race is won by the filly who has either a fair bit of a class advantage on the rest of the field or is the only true stayer in the race. Every now and then something jumps up out of the ground to win the race at good odds but not very often. In fact when it does happen I am usually on the receiving end of the defeat.

Today we go into the race with two fillies who both deserve their place in the field. SNOOKIE THE BOOKIE has been running nice races without winning and has not had a lot go her way as yet. BLACK HABIT has been a bit behind where I would have liked her to be throughout the whole campaign but has shown that she is looking for ground. What I can say is that both of my fillies are fit, well and sound for today's assignment. Neither could be said to have a class advantage on the rest of the field and neither has the form to say that they are going to be the ones best suited by the step up to 2400m. Of all the fillies I have started in the race neither could lay claim to being amongst my best. Yet something tells me that a surprise result in today's race is not completely out of the question!!!