Gust Of Wind has upset her more-fancied rivals, including stablemate Thunder Lady, to win the $1 million ATC Australian Oaks at Randwick.
One of the last to leave the barriers, Gust Of Wind ($17) was first home after saving ground from the middle stages for jockey Tye Angland.
He allowed Gust Of Wind to gradually improve her position to be third on the rails at the 1000m.
And it wasn’t long before she took control of the race, bursting through on the inside at the 600m to claim the lead to outstayed Winx ($2.80), which lost her position at a crucial stage of the race.
Her winning margin was 2-1/2 lengths.
The leader Candelara, backed from $10 to $7, took the minor placing, another 2-1/1 lengths further back.
Thunder Lady finished fifth.
Gust Of Wind was having just her fifth start on Saturday and arrives as a Group One winner after two victories on out-of-town tracks.
Her win continue John Sargent’s impressive run in blue-riband Classics for three-year-old fillies.
The Randwick trainer has also won won the New Zealand Oaks, VRC Oaks and Queensland Oaks in recent seasons.
For Angland, his despair at losing the ride on Thunder Lady was soon forgotten.
“Obviously, I rode Thunder Lady last start and I was quite disappointed I wasn’t on her,” Angland said.
“But thanks to the owners, they put me on their other horse.
“That’s the racing game. You get down in the dumps and the long shot came up.”
