Jenni’s Meadow primed for Oaks

By Trent Crebbin, Brad Bishop and Danny Matthews  

Co-trainer Ben Hayes believes Jenni’s Meadow can deliver in the Queensland Oaks.

An excellent run in the main lead-up has given Lindsay Park every indication Jenni's Meadow is one of the horses to beat in the Group 1 Queensland Oaks on Saturday.

For all their success in Victoria, Lindsay Park, including the days of David and Colin, have not won a Group 1 in Queensland.

Jenni's Meadow will spearhead a strong team at Eagle Farm this Saturday for Ben, Will and JD Hayes on a day where the Group 1 Queensland Derby will be run on the same card.

The stable will be represented in all three feature races with Rise At Dawn in the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup and filly Chase Your Dreams taking on the boys in the Derby.

Ben Hayes believes Jenni's Meadow has been trained to the minute for the Queensland Oaks off a slashing last-start second placing in the Group 2 The Roses at Doomben.

"We're very happy with her," Ben Hayes said.

"It was a huge run in The Roses and I think arguably she was probably the run of the race. She was strong to the line, made a long, sustained run and it looked perfect for 2200 (metres)."

Drawn barrier 13 of 13 and 14 of 16 in her past two starts, Hayes believes Jenni's Meadow could've beaten local filly Philia in The Roses and is looking forward to a rematch, notably having drawn barrier one on Saturday.

"She's been a bit unlucky this prep with wide barriers and it has cost her. I think with a couple of better barriers and better runs in transit, she would have gone close," Ben Hayes said.

"I don't think the barrier is all important, but a gate would definitely help, and I know Ethan (Brown) was rapt with her run in The Roses.

"But, she's building up beautifully. This has always been the target with her to hopefully try and get her to a race like the Queensland Oaks. So we're arriving fourth up, ready to go.

"She's a Listed winner as a young horse, Group 3-placed last preparation and now she's Group 2-placed, so we need to get that good black-type win.

"She deserves to be there and has a great chance."

Jenni's Meadow is a $7 chance on the third line of betting for the Queensland Oaks with Ethan Brown maintaining his association with the daughter of Brutal.

Philia holds favourisitm at $3.50 despite drawing barrier 16 for Kerrin McEvoy, who will come into 13 if the emergencies fail to get a run.

Benagil at $6 is the only other horse in single figures and has drawn barrier five with regular jockey Mark Zahra aboard.

Meanwhile, rescheduled Group 1 sprint causes a change to Victorian mare’s program.

Jason Warren has some decisions to make with his star sprinting mare Benedetta.

The Victorian trainer has not yet ruled out running the Group 1-winner in this Saturday's $1 million Kingsford Smith Cup, which was postponed after last Saturday's Eagle Farm meeting was called off early.

But, if she does, it rules out the following Saturday's Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap, for which the daughter of Hellbent is also a leading fancy.

"The conundrum for us now is it rules out one of the Group 1s that we had as a target," Warren said of the change in schedule.

"The 1300 (on Saturday) would have been ideal, we were well-suited at the weights and well-placed.

"But, I think it rules out one of the races. Essentially, we have to skip the Kingsford Smith now and go to the Stradbroke or skip the Stradbroke and to the Tatt's Tiara, which that then impacts on your spring when you're talking only a matter of weeks in the paddock."

The 1400 metre Tattersall's Tiara, a $700,000 Group 1 race restricted to fillies and mares, is Australia's final Group 1 of the season, to be run at Eagle Farm on June 28.

If Warren elects to bypass the Kingsford Smith Cup, the five-year-old would have a maintenance trial in Queensland later in the week.

Wherever she does run next will be the sixth start of a campaign that started with a third placing in the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning all the way back on February 15.

All five starts this year have been in Group 1 races with a William Reid Stakes second placing to Schwarz the other top-three finish.

She was a luckless 10th in the Newmarket Handicap, finished fifth in the All Aged Stakes and fourth in the Doomben 10,000.

The Kingsford Smith Cup is one of two Group 1 races added to this Saturday's Queensland Oaks card, which now also features the Queensland Derby and the Listed Helen Coughlan Stakes.