VICTORIAN trainer Robert Smerdon is surprised that his three-year-old filly La Fantastique has been installed the $3.40 favourite with Betasport or tonight’s PFD Food Services Tasmanian oaks over 2100 metres at The TOTE Racing Centre at Mowbray.
La Fantastique scored an impressive win at Ballarat two starts back over 1600 metres and at her subsequent and most recent outing she was a luckless fourth in a 1600-metre race at Moonee Valley two weeks ago.
The filly will be partnered by Smerdon’s stable apprentice Jason Maskiell who has been riding in top form in Melbourne of late.
While La Fantastique has good form going into the race, the form of the Lee Freedman-trained Exchanges and local filly Tough Chik is strong and both of these fillies rate highly.
Touch Chik finished on the heels of the placegetters in the Thousand Guineas won by the Darren Weir-trained Le Bel Away with Exchanges second and Tasmanian filly Winay Wayna third.
Tough Chik followed up with an impressive win in the Listed Strutt Stakes (2100m) in Hobart that signaled her arrival as a serious Oaks-winning chance.
Exchanges ran second in the Strutt while Le Bel Away finished third and the beaten favourite and over five lengths from the winner Tough Chik.
Freedman has brought another filly for the race in Giggleswick that finished 11th of 15 at Ballarat but less than five lengths from the winner against older horses and at her most recent outing she was fifth of nine, beaten three lengths behind Folding Gear in a 3YO 0-72 over 1800m at Sandown last week.
Tasmanian filly Longway To The Top goes into the race on the back of a very impressive win in a class one handicap over 1600m in Launceston last Thursday night.
She was impressive and trainer John Blacker had no hesitation in steering her into this Listed race
Listen to what trainer Robert Smerdon had to say about his filly La Fantastique – click here .