Promising filly Ohope Wins echoes the prowess of her sire Ocean Park, living up to the adage about the apple staying close to the tree.
The New Zealand Oaks champion gears up for her first Australian race in the Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill this Saturday, representing her seventh appearance in a preparation launched in November.
James McDonald, her jockey, revealed initial apprehension regarding the long campaign when Ohope Wins entered Chris Waller’s Sydney stable, though the three-year-old swiftly erased those concerns.
“That was probably one question mark I had on her,” McDonald said.
“But she’s got such a brilliant attitude. Her father was Ocean Park, and he was as tough as they come, and this filly feels exactly the same.
“She’s got a great appetite for work and just loves it.
“Her program would be just eat, sleep and work. She is very rigid like that and very measured in how she does everything. She is just a beautiful filly.”
With three triumphs from six outings, Ohope Wins remains in her maiden preparation, rested after her February 21 victory in the New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Ellerslie.
McDonald was impressed by her finishing efforts in a recent trial, seeing similarities with Orchestral, the 2024 Vinery Stud Stakes winner who preceded it with success in that year’s New Zealand Derby (2400m).
“She was a good filly, Orchestral, and this one feels just as good,” McDonald said.
“It will take a good filly to beat her.”
Nine runners are entered for the Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m), Ohope Wins securing the outermost barrier.
The race acts as a key precursor to the ATC Australian Oaks (2400m) at Randwick on April 11, with Ohope Wins emerging as the decisive early frontrunner.
Discover attractive racing betting markets ahead of Ohope Wins’s tilt at the Vinery Stud Stakes.