South Australian Derby winner Femminile to have new owners for Queensland Derby
The three-year-old filly is expected to have new owners when she lines up in the $1m feature at Eagle Farm next Saturday in a field that her trainer Phillip Stokes believes is the strongest in many years.
'That's quite unique, although they do it quite a bit overseas,' Stokes said of the impending sale.
'So basically someone will have the chance to buy the horse that's going to run in a Derby four days later. It's quite a good carrot, I suppose.'
Femminile held off the challenge of South Australian Derby (2500m) favourite Statuario to win this month's Group 1 at Morphettville by three-quarters of a length at odds of $19.
The three-year-old filly is an $11 chance to salute in the Queensland Derby (2400m) behind favourite King Of Thunder ($6), Belle Detelle ($8) and Statuario ($8).
The John O'Shea and Tom Charlton-trained gelding King Of Thunder finished third in the Rough Habit Plate (2000m) at Doomben last weekend, the traditional lead-up race to the Queensland Derby, while Chris Waller's filly Belle Detelle was sixth on a heavy track.
'I think it's not a bad Derby this year,' said Stokes, who won the 2019 Queensland Derby with Mr Quickie.
'I just think it looks stronger than previous years from what I've seen.
'We bring winning form, we don't mind wet tracks and we've got (jockey) Blake Shinn, they're our positives.'
Stokes said he was encouraged by last year's formlines when the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr-trained gelding Warmonger finished runner-up in the SA Derby and then emphatically won the Queensland Derby four weeks later.
'The formula seems OK,' he said.
Shinn rode Warmonger last year and he will be back to defend his crown on Femminile, the daughter of Dundeel.
Stokes said Ethan Brown would ride his other two runners on Derby Day – last-start Group 3 Cummings Stakes winner Regal Azmon and Stay Focused, which triumphed in the Listed Nitschke Stakes (1400m) in Adelaide on April 5.
Stokes was hoping for a heavy track for the Queensland Derby given that Femminile 'sprouted wings' on a bog surface at Morphettville in her maiden win in June last year but he is unlikely to get his wish because the sun is finally shining in Brisbane this week.
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