amokuraHer phenomenal rise through the levels culminated in her knocking out her more experienced opponents to win the June 3 Queensland Oaks (G1) at Eagle Farm and by doing so , Darley’s often underrated stallion Kermadec with his fourth group 1 winner.
Amokura reigns supreme in Queensland Oaks! 👑@Leesracing won the Queensland Oaks for the second time, while Damien Oliver scored his 128th win in Group 1. pic.twitter.com/9U5IhnPO0e
– Racing in the sky (@SkyRacingAU) June 3, 2023
Coached by Kris Lees, the 3-year-old shed her maiden status on her third attempt at Newcastle on April 22, before supporting that victory with a dominating 1st place win at Sunshine Coast on May 21.
However, despite the jump in scores, the chubby girl showed no signs of green under Damien Oliver, weaving her way through her opponents, before taking down impressively. Ring one and a half distances, while third place Noah ‘N’ A Deel is about the same distance.
Lees won the race for the second time, after winning it with Vitesse Dane in 2005. The coach said he had always thought of Amokura as a talent.
“They can come out of nowhere. She’s always showing us something,” Lees said. “This is her first race prep, so we’re always watching to see how far we can go with her. She scored with a big margin win over Newcastle, So we brought her up with the intention of trying to sneak her in with a little bounty. She did it at the Sunshine Coast and sneaked into the race.
“There’s Ollie (Damien Oliver) coming and riding; the rest is history.
“She was probably farther back than we thought from a good draw, but she watched adorably into the corner. It’s just a matter of getting some fresh air, he’s still got plenty of horses left. . (Oliver) weaved a piece and finished the job.”
Lees said that now that the little girl will be sent to do the spell, no plans have been made for her future goals.
“All the time she gave us the impression that she was going to cross the ground, it’s just that where her ceiling is we’re not sure, we’re running on shorter distances. When she won that race at Newcastle, I said we should start planning.
“It’s her first prep, so she’ll have a well-deserved break. We’ll reevaluate her from there.”
Amokura was bred by the Fraser family’s St Aubins Scone Partnership, who also bred her untested dam, Fain (Quest For Fame), as well as her second dam Timeless Appeal and her The third beat, Never Over.
