Porcellanus has put herself in the mix to take on Dear Demi and Gondokoro in the Queensland Oaks with victory at Warwick Farm on Sunday.
The Gai Waterhouse-trained filly beat older mares Mossmoney and Rain Alert over 1600 metres to take her record to two wins from two starts.
The vastly more experienced Dear Demi and Gondokoro ran one-two in Saturday’s Roses at Doomben and head the market but Waterhouse’s raceday foreman Mark Newnham said Porcellanus could head north for the Group One on June 1.
“She is a very good, strong staying filly and is still in the Queensland Oaks so Gai may take her north,” Newnham said.
Dear Demi, winner of the VRC Oaks and second in the Australian Oaks, is the reigning $3.20 favourite for the Queensland version with Gondokoro at $4 and Porcellanus a $16 chance.
Gondokoro got to within a short head of Dear Demi in The Roses after suffering interference at the 1500m mark.
Rhys McLeod fired in a protest against Dear Demi’s rider Luke Nolen but Racing Queensland stewards were not satisfied the winner was the culprit.
Trainer Clarry Conners said Dear Demi would back up in the Grand Prix Stakes on Saturday with Nash Rawiller to ride.
“She’s a bad track worker and she likes to race,” Conners said.
“This way she will race three weeks in a row without having to do much work in between.
“She’s pretty tough and it will suit her.”
Gondokoro’s trainer Pat Carey said his filly, who finished third in the Australian Oaks, had come through the Saturday’s Group Three race in good order.
“We were very happy with her performance, she was strong at the finish and she appears like she’s come through the run well,” Carey told racingvictoria.net.au.
“All things being equal well head towards the Queensland Oaks now.
“It (the scorecard) is in favour of Dear Demi at the moment but you’d have to be confident that at some stage or other, with a little bit of luck, that things can turn around.
“I’m sure shell be a lot better on a bigger track like Eagle Farm and obviously 16 fillies around Doomben can get a bit messy and it did.”
