Latest news with #Femminile
News.com.au
06-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Queensland Derby delay to benefit Statuario but not so much Femminile
A week can be a long time in horse racing – just ask Femminile 's trainer Phillip Stokes. He wanted his talented filly to run on a heavy track in the Group 1 Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm last weekend but unfortunately for him, persistent rain and poor visibility for jockeys meant the feature race was rescheduled to this Saturday. In stark contrast, fellow Pakenham trainers Emma-Lee and David Browne are delighted that Derby favourite Statuario will race on a good surface on Saturday in the $1m contest. And the husband-and-wife team has another ace up its sleeve in 'Derby King' John Allen, who is again booked to ride the grey gelding at Eagle Farm. The Irish jockey flew to Brisbane for just the one ride in the Derby last week but he didn't even get to jump on Statuario as the rain kept falling and the jockeys voted to call it a day after five races. He will be back in the River City on Saturday, hoping that his grey wizard can turn the tables on Femminile, who narrowly beat a late-charging Statuario in last month's South Australian Derby (2500m). Allen has won 20 Group 1s in Australia and, remarkably, nine of those have been in Derbies, including the 2019 Queensland edition for the Stokes-trained Mr Quickie. 'Yes, that definitely gives me a lot more confidence,' Emma-Lee Browne said of Allen's superb record in Derbies. 'He's a very patient rider and that comes from having a background as a jumps jockey with experience over the further distances. 'But the horses seem to settle really well for him which I think is crucial in these kind of races.' • It's in the blood: Front Page up for the fight in Moreton Cup Stokes, who organised the travel to the Gold Coast for both Statuario and rival Femminile, said the rescheduling of the Derby was 'not ideal'. 'We went up there hoping for a wet track but the races were called off,' he said. 'We would've loved to have run on a Heavy 10 because I know she likes it. 'Look, I still think she can run well (on Saturday) but is she on the up? No. 'Hopefully she can dig deep and pull one more out.' Statuario is the $6 favourite for the Queensland Derby ahead of three others in single-figures in the market – Belle Detelle ($7), King Of Thunder ($8) and Femminile ($9.50). Allen said it was 'frustrating' not getting to ride last Saturday but 'not too disappointing' given that Statuario had a far superior record (8: 3-2-0) on dry tracks. 'It's a very even race with no real standout,' Allen said of the Queensland Derby. 'I'm fairly confident Statuario is in as good form as anything in the race and he's trending the right way. 'I feel like he's the horse with the most upside at this stage.' Allen will be hoping to recapture his 2019 form in Queensland when he won Group 2 races The Roses (Etana) and The Q22 (Kenedna), which were the cherries on top of Group 1 victories in the Derby (Mr Quickie) and Doomben Cup (Kenedna). As for the nickname 'Derby King', Allen would love to win on Saturday to cement that reputation as the middle-distance magician. 'I haven't won a Derby in three years (2022 Australian Derby on Hitotsu) so it'll be good to top up the tally on Saturday,' he said.
News.com.au
29-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Femminile chasing South Australian and Queensland Derby double at Eagle Farm Saturday
A day's detour is unlikely to hinder Pakenham trainer Phillip Stokes 's bid for a second Queensland Derby triumph at Saturday's Eagle Farm meeting. The Stokes-trained Femminile will run in new colours in the Queensland Derby after Yulong Investments paid $1.5m for the South Australian Derby winner at a Gold Coast auction on Tuesday. Thankfully for Stokes, Femminile's preparation was not disrupted by days spent parading at the Magic Millions sales complex. I was very happy when they (Yulong) rang me straight after the sale to tell me we'd better get her back into her box,' Stokes said. 'She only had to spend one day at the sales, she didn't have to be there any longer.' The Queensland Derby wasn't on Stokes's mind when Femminile returned to work for her autumn campaign. The Group 1 Australasian Oaks was Femminile's initial target but Stokes decided to give the Dundeel filly a crack at the boys in the South Australian Derby. • 'She got beaten in the Oaks but I actually thought the fillies were better than the colts,' Stokes said. 'We were going to run her in the other 2500m feature (the Group 3 SA Fillies' Classic) the week after so thank God my racing manager pushed the button and nominated her for the Derby. 'She got a peach of a ride and got the job done. 'It wasn't the initial plan to go to the Queensland Derby but when she won the South Australian Derby, I thought, 'let's try and do this again'.' Stokes said recent history was on Femminile's side in the Queensland Derby. He noted several Queensland Derby winners, including his own galloper Mr Quickie, were beaten in the South Australian Derby before heading north. 'History tells you the South Australian Derby has been a good pointer for the Queensland Derby,' Stokes said. 'Last year, Warmonger was beaten in the SA Derby and won the Queensland Derby. 'Mr Quickie got beaten in the South Australian Derby and won the Queensland Derby and there's been a few others as well.' Magicool and Ruthven reinforce Stokes's point. Both horses were beaten in the South Australian Derby before claiming the Queensland Derby in 2015 and 2017 respectively. Femminile is a $8 chance to become the first filly to win the Queensland Derby since the Bart Cummings-trained Dariana prevailed in 2010. 'She's very clean-winded and Ethan Brown galloped her on Tuesday at the Gold Coast and he was really taken by her,' Stokes said. 'If we get any rain, which I think is forecast, she'll love it.'
News.com.au
28-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Trainer Emma-Lee Browne confident Statuario can reverse result on Femminile in Queensland Derby rematch
They're the Pakenham pair ready to pack a powerful punch in Saturday's Group 1 Queensland Derby at Eagle Farm. Victorian horses Statuario and Femminile delivered a thriller in this month's South Australian Derby, with the Phillip Stokes-trained filly Femminile holding on to win the major at $19 odds. • Racenet iQ members get full access to our Pro Tips service, where Greg Polson and our team of professional punters provide daily tips with fully transparent return on investment statistics. SUBSCRIBE NOW and start punting like a pro! Statuario's co-trainer Emma-Lee Browne is hoping they can again jag the quinella on Saturday, although this time she wants her grey gelding to take the chocolates. Blake Shinn, the Doomben Cup winner on Queensland hero Antino, will jump aboard Femminile while John Allen will ride Statuario, the $6 early favourite for the 2400m race ahead of King Of Thunder ($7), Party Crasher ($8) and Femminile ($9.50). Browne, who trains in partnership with husband David, said Statuario had travelled 'super' to the Gold Coast and would be primed to turn the tables on Femminile in the Queensland Derby. • 'You don't know how they're going to cope with the travel until they've had that race-day pressure but he hasn't missed a feed and his weight is super,' she said while enjoying an outing with her family at Gold Coast tourist attraction Dreamworld. Statuario was the warm favourite for the SA Derby but got caught behind horses on the inside of the track before eventually finding space and motoring home to finish just three-quarters of a length behind Femminile. They're a tight-knit racing community at Pakenham and the rivalry between stables is definitely more friendly than fierce. Stokes, who grew up at a cattle station near Marree in northern South Australia, even helped arrange the transport to Queensland for both his horses and Statuario. 'You've got to have everything go right in a Group 1 and you've got to have a bit of luck on your side,' Browne said about the $1m SA Derby (2500m) at Morphettville on May 3. 'But at least it was a Pakenham victory – we've taken that, with Phillip Stokes being from both places. 'We're incredibly lucky down at Pakenham, it's a fantastic group and we all support each other. It makes a difference – it's a good atmosphere. 'Phillip pretty much organised my trip up here so that's been incredibly helpful. 'We're hoping we can quinella the Queensland Derby too but we still want to turn the tables this time.' Browne said the four-week gap between races was ideal for Statuario and she was encouraged by the path of the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr-trained Warmonger, who finished runner-up in last year's SA Derby before winning the Queensland edition. 'The way he (Statuario) travelled home from Adelaide and the way he bounced around the track made us think 'OK let's see how he pushes on',' she said. 'It was good to have the four weeks between races because you could really see how he was doing. 'We're very happy with the horse, he's had a super prep. It'd be a cherry on top if he goes well this Saturday.'
News.com.au
21-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
South Australian Derby winner Femminile to have new owners for Queensland Derby
It's not often that a Group 1-winning filly is sold just four days before a shot at back-to-back majors but that's exactly the scenario with Queensland Derby contender Femminile. 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.
Herald Sun
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Herald Sun
South Australian Derby winner Femminile to have new owners for Queensland Derby
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. It's not often that a Group 1-winning filly is sold just four days before a shot at back-to-back majors but that's exactly the scenario with Queensland Derby contender Femminile. 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. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! '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). • Heathcote poised to spring upset with luckless $2.3m earner 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.' • Shinn in emotional history-making Doomben Cup mission 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. Originally published as South Australian Derby winner Femminile to have new owners for Queensland Derby
