Cause For Confidence With Hidden Wonder
Story By Chris Scholtz
Tuesday, 19 February 2008:  | | Causeway Queen wins the Strutt Stakes |
Causeway Queen, trained by Tony Vasil, will be shooting for her sixth successive win in the Oaks after beating Hidden Wonder into second place by two lengths in the Wrest Point Strutt Stakes at Elwick on February 11.
However Joe O'Neill, the Victorian syndicator and part-owner of Hidden Wonder, believes the Danzero filly will be a tougher rival for Causeway Queen in the Oaks.
“The Oaks has been her mission and we expect her to improve on the Hobart run,” O'Neill said.
“David (Hayes) won the Oaks last year with a filly that was beaten in the Strutt Stakes and we think he can do it again.”
O'Neill recalled that the Hayes-trained Maha Chakri could finish only fourth in lat year's Strutt Stakes but improvd to win the Oaks at Mowbray.
Hidden Wonder has won three of her 12 starts and they include a victory over 1600m at Moonee Valley on January 11 on the same night Causeway Queen scored over the same trip in similar time.
Causeway Queen then extended her unbeaten sequence this preparation when she won again over 1600m at the Valley on January 25 before winning the Strutt takes.
However Hidden Wonder was unplaced at Moonee Valley on January 25 before she was sent to Hobart.
Her effort in the Stutt Stakes (2100m) was a solid Oaks trial as she was taking ground off the winner in the last 200m on a track that favoured on pace runners.
The Oaks is over the same 2100m trip and it may come down to which filly makes the most improvement from the Strutt Stakes.
Tony Vasil admits it will be a major achievement for Causeway Queen to extend her winning sequence in the Oaks.
“There aren't many fillies or mares that can win three in a row let alone four or five but here she is about to try and win six in a row," Vasil said.
“She is a naturally relaxed filly, it's the sign of a good stayer.”
Vasil said jockey Danny Brereton identified Causeway Queen, a daughter of former shuttler Giant's Causeway from a Danehill mare, as an Oaks filly after he rode her to victory in a maiden last season.
"I was up in Sydney campaigning Haradasun when this filly won her maiden with Danny aboard.
“He rang me to tell me that he thought she was a fair horse and suggested she might be an Oaks filly,” Vasil said.
Brereton did not ride Causeway Queen again until the Strutt Stakes.
"Through circumstances Danny hadn't had much to do with her but I was keen to get him back on because he rides trackwork for me at Caulfield,” Vasil said.
Hayes also has Nufoos among the 27 nominations while other interstate entries include Strutt Staks third Little Alle (Katrina O'Sullivan), Princess Gisella (Robert Smerdon) and Test Us (Chris Hyland).
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