ASTUTE trainer Terry Evans has always believed his three-year-old filly Oxy Angel would excel once she contested races over distances beyond 1600 metres.
So it should come as no surprise that he expects her to make an impact in the $100,000 Strutt Stakes over 2100m at Tattersall’s Park on Sunday.
After the filly finished trackwork yesterday and was put back into her box at Evans’ Brighton stables she appeared to be having a word in his ear (as per the photograph) to let him know she was ready for Sunday’s assignment.
Evans has a lot of faith in the daughter of West Quest despite her having won only once from 14 starts.
“This filly was competitive as a two-year-old over the shorter distances so it was just a matter of waiting until this season to get her over more ground,” Evans said.
Oxy Angel notched her first win in Launceston last month when she powered home from well back to defeat Packedtotherafters in a strong maiden/class one over 1600m.
“I was going to run her in the Tasmanian Guineas on the same program (January 4) but I opted for the softer option and she did the job well.”
“I backed her up in another maiden/class one in Hobart and she ran on late and it was the same at her last start when she was third in the Thousand Guineas,” he said.
Oxy Angel goes up against Thousand Guineas winner Gee Gee’s La Quita again as well as two interstate invaders and both have good enough Victorian form to suggest they will be hard to beat.
Temper Tantrum, prepared at Mornington by Alex McPherson, has won her past two on provincial tracks while the Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra-trained Khandallah is a maiden that has placed at her past two with the latest over 2040 metres at Cranbourne.
“It is a $100,000 race so we have to expect the mainlanders to come but this year there doesn’t seem to be as many staying fillies about so that’s good for us,” Evans said.
The Strutt Stakes boasts only a field of seven but it will still be a very competitive race both on the track and in the betting ring.