Aloisia is following the Jameka path to the VRC Oaks
Aloisia is following the Jameka path to the VRC Oaks and will be out to pick up another feature race win on the way.
The three-year-old won the Thousand Guineas (1600m) at her most recent start, giving her new trainer Aaron Purcell his first Group One victory.
Saturday’s Group Two Vase (2040m) at Moonee Valley is the filly’s next start, the same race Jameka won two years ago before taking out the Oaks (2500m) at Flemington.
Trainer Ciaron Maher won the Oaks with Jameka, who finished second in the Thousand Guineas before winning the Vase, and Maher also trained Aloisia until he started a six-month suspension earlier this month.
Purcell stepped in to take over training Maher’s large team, with the Thousand Guineas Aloisia’s first start for him.
Aloisia’s spring program had been pencilled after her winter campaign in Queensland .
Purcell said the filly was quite sharp in her gallop at Moonee Valley on Tuesday alongside stablemate Pemberley.
And despite already winning the Guineas, Purcell believes there is improvement to come this spring.
“She’s still got a bit of improvement in her,” Purcell said.
“She’s been trained to win the Oaks, so we deliberately haven’t given her a hard preparation so far.
“She’ll come on from Tuesday’s gallop and she’ll come on again from The Vase and go straight to the Oaks.”
Aloisia is one of two fillies in the field of 10 and is at $2.60.
Last Saturday’s Caulfield Classic-winning colt Cliff’s Edge is $2.50 favourite.
After the Thousand Guineas, connections discussed a start in the $3 million Cox Plate but the idea was shelved.
“We thought it might have just been a bit greedy trying to take on Winx third-up in a preparation and at her seventh start in her life,” Purcell said.
“We thought it was going to be a big ask.
“We’ll keep our focus on the main prize.”
