Suddenly the Victoria Oaks has a serious heartbeat.
Going into Friday night’s heats, most had already conceded next Friday’s Group 1 final to big hulking filly Petacular.
The Aussie TAB had her $1.55 to win the final.
Mick Stanley’s star filly is still the one to beat, but the likes of Miss Graceland and Shezallapples showed enough in the heats to say they can win if the draws and luck go their way.
Petacular won her heat in a 1min56.3sec mile rate for 2240m and went substantially quicker than NSW filly Shezallapples (1min57.7sec) in the other heat.
But Shezallapples looked to do it easily and Miss Graceland’s effort for second to Petacular was the best of her career so far.
Miss Graceland looms as the biggest threat.
Co-trainer Clayton Tonkin thought there was very little between Miss Graceland and Petacular heading into the NSW Oaks, but Petacular easily beat her home in both a heat and the final.
Since then, Miss Graceland has returned home, easily won two ho-hum races and then really pushed Petacular when a fantastic second in the Oaks heat last Friday night.
On the home turn, just for a few strides, it looked like Miss Graceland was going to beat Petacular. In the end, she finished 2.3m away, but ran a bottler.
The facts say just how it goes between the pair with Petacular winning all six clashes between the pair so far, but Miss Graceland’s driver Chris Alford is not so sure.
“I don’t think there is a lot between them, although I know their records don’t show that,” he said.
“Petacular was too good for her in NSW, but Miss Graceland wasn’t at her best up there.
“She felt really good winning those two easier races when she came home then, tonight, I thought she went really, really well.
“Pectacular had the easier run and Miss Graceland still really made a race of it with her.
“I’m certainly not conceding the final. If he draw better, I think we can make a real race of it.”
Against that, Stanley made it clear before the heat that Pecatular had room to improve for the final.
Shezallapples also looks to have improved since the NSW Oaks when she ran a luckless sixth in a heat behind Petacular then fourth in the final behind Partyon and Petacular.
The David Thorn-trained daughter of Sportswriter worked to the front and won as she liked by five metres in her Victoria Oaks heat from Sanna Cruza, who led then trailed, and Keayang Secret.
Adam Hamilton