Midnight Oil Oaks Bound

The New Zealand Oaks will be the next stop for three-year-old filly Midnight Oil after she produced a very good effort in Saturday's $70,000 Group 3 Livamol Lowland Stakes (2100m) to claim her first black-type victory.

The ninth and penultimate leg of the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series, the Lowland Stakes looks to be a good guide to Oaks success, and Midnight Oil (Keeper x Gilded Light) will be looking to maintain that record.

Last year the race was won by Posavina with Keep the Peace running a good second. Keep the Peace went on to win the Oaks with Miss Sharapova running fourth after a placing third in the Lowland Stakes.

Seeming to be revelling in the damp conditions, the Paul Duncan trained Midnight Oil was ridden confidently by jockey Rosie Myers and drew clear of her rivals in the final 100 metres to win by an increasing two length margin. With a strong performance from the filly over the 2100 metres, the Oaks distance of 2400 metres looks unlikely to hold to much concern, and her breeding looks to support that.

The Kevin Gray trained Kiwi Lady (Ruby's Jester x Luscious Lady) ran a brilliant second, having little problem stepping up in distance from her win over 1200 metres at her last start.

The John Wheeler trained I Gotta Feeling (His Royal Highness x Cerprized Habit) also ran a good race after taking the lead at the 1600 metre mark. She was tackled 300 metres from home and fought well only be to be nosed out of second place.

Midnight Oil's win has earned her six points in the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series, and her price for the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks next weekend has tumbled to $6 with the TAB, placing her second favourite behind the heavily backed King's Rose at $3. Kiwi Lady picks up 3 points for her second placing and I Gotta Feeling takes 1.5 points.

Midnight Oil was bred by Andari Ltd and was passed in at the 2009 Karaka Select Sale for $15,000 from the Henley Park draft. She has now won three of her seven starts and has earned over $60,000 in stakes earnings.

To view the current points table in the NZB Filly of the Year Series, click here.

The final leg of the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series is the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks which will be run at Trentham on March 19.