Curious Girl Shines As Oaks Decision Looms

Racing fans will be hoping that Mike and Mathew de Kock’s up-and-coming staying fillies, Curious Girl and Councillor, can provide Hazy Dazy with meaningful opposition when she launches her SA Triple Tiara bid in the Wilgerbosdrift Grade 2 SA Oaks over 2450m on 4 April.

However, while Curious Girl posted a runaway victory in Saturday’s Ormond Ferraris Oaks Trial (headline photo) and Councillor finished strongly against the colts in the Listed Hawwaam Stakes – both over 2000m – neither is certain to line up in the Oaks.

Mathew said on Saturday that both fillies will be entered for the Oaks, but their participation will be carefully considered in consultation with their respective owners - Hollywood Racing (Curious Girl) and Devin Heffer and Craig Kieswetter (Councillor).

“Both fillies risk significant penalties from the handicapper even for minor placings in the Oaks. Curious Girl is likely to move into the MR90s after her win today, while Councillor is rated 84 – massive increases after the Oaks could carry potentially career-limiting consequences.”

As for the Oaks Trial, Curious Girl was impressive in the way she disposed of 13 rivals. Jockey Gavin Lerena said: “I thought she had it all to do, coming from Durban and carrying top weight. But Sean Veale told me she’d run a big race for me.”

Curious Girl won by 5.75 lengths in a time that was almost 2s faster than the time posted by Diogenes in the Hawwaam Stakes, which carries the kind of merit her connections will be mulling over when they make their Oaks decision.

Mathew pointed out that the Hawwaam Stakes was run at a significantly slower pace than the Oaks Trial. “Our filly Councillor dropped too far back early. She got going when the race was almost over and gained good ground over the last 200m.”

Heffer and Kieswetter can look forward, with more certainty, to a Grade 2 SA Nursery run on 4 April for two-year-old filly,
Good Day Sunshine (Vercingetorix, photo above). This half-sister to Miami Mountain raced sensibly on her 1000m debut, showed more early pace than was expected and drew away nicely to win.

“Good Day Sunshine moved really well to post. She was a bit green and looking around - slightly slow off, but recovered quickly and got onto the heels of the leader. She can run.”

The winners were saddled on behalf of the Lucky Fish ambassadors by assistant trainer, David Lhamine.