Top fillies re-match in NZ Oaks

Duchess Megxit (Sweet Lou) may have started this month as our harness racing best pacing filly but she has both momentum and the barrier draw against her in tonight’s $200,000 Tennant Engineeering NZ Pacing Oaks (8.32pm) at Addington.

So she is going to need some help from her rivals if she is claim her crown as the princess of pacing back.

The northerner headed south last month as the clear top seed of her crop and hasn’t really been disappointing, it is more that Treacherous Baby has caught up to her, or last start usurped her.

In a shift that few would have seen coming Treacherous Baby (Captaintreacherous) dead-heated with Duchess Megxit two starts ago then beat her fair and square in the Nevele R Fillies Final on Cup Day.

“We had no excuses, she was too good that day,” says Duchess Megxit’s co-trainer Scott Phelan,.

“Our filly had to sprint a few times but Treacherous Baby worked hard too and beat us.

“She has definitely closed the gap and that has surprised us because we know how good our filly is.”

Perception has changed so much Treacherous Baby opened the $1.80 favourite for tonight’s Oaks with Duchess Megxit at $5.50 and while they won’t start that far apart the disparity is enticing form punters.

If Treacherous Baby is able to work straight to the lead and gain a clear advantage from her better draw then she is the logical choice but it may not be that simple, particularly with Victoria Oaks winner Coastal Babe drawn inside her.

Her connections were keen for driver Matty White to stay in front against the boys in the $500,000 Velocity last start and while that didn’t pay off they might be keen on the same tactics again in tonight’s weaker field.

If Coastal Babe does lead then racing luck comes into play for Treacherous Baby and she could be vulnerable to the moves of others.

“We’d like to see some speed on up front and then come into the race later,” says Phelan.

“But we know she is well and if she has to come sit parked later in the race she can still go close no matter who is in front.”

Phelan and senior training partner Barry Purdon also have Ultimate Racy Girl in the Oaks and he says she is working every bit as good as Duchess Megxit.

“She was working well before her last start too but raced terrible but I wouldn’t be surprised if she went a lot better this week.”

The enigma of the race is Northern Oaks winner All You Need Is Me, who looked a star in the making when she beat all of tonight’s major players at Alexandra Park back in March but has struggled to perform to anything like that level again.

Add in Coastal Babe, Louies Girl, Ruby Roe and Classic Elegance and this is an Oaks with a lot of moving parts.

For complete race entries, click here 

by Michael Guerin, for Harness Racing New Zealand