Queen Of The Turf Stakes 2017 Field Features Foxplay

Chris Waller’s talented filly Foxplay will be out to be the first three-year-old to beat the mares in the 2017 Queen Of The Turf Stakes field in nearly a decade when she lines-up in the Group 1 at Royal Randwick this weekend.

Three-year-old filly Foxplay takes on a field of older mares in the 2017 Queen Of The Turf Stakes at Royal Randwick this weekend. Photo: Steve Hart.

The second last event on the ten-race card for Day 2 of ‘The Championships’ at 4:35pm (AEST) sees a full field of female milers engaged for the $1 million Group 1 Coolmore Legacy Stakes (1600m) – better known as the Queen Of The Turf Stakes.

Just two fillies are in the mix against the older runners in the weight-for-age feature this autumn with Mick Price’s last start Group 3 winner over the distance at Moonee Valley Oregon’s Day and Foxplay drawn in barriers fifteen and ten respectively.

The last three-year-old Queen Of The Turf Stakes winner was Forensics in 2008 giving the fillies a notable drought to break this season.

Waller is yet to saddle-up a Queen Of The Turf Stakes winner, but Foxplay is current second favourite to take out Saturday’s edition through Ladbrokes.com.au.

The grey daughter of Foxwedge is a dual winner at the Randwick track and enjoyed a 1500m win at Rosehill two back in the Group 2 Phar Lap Stakes (1500m).

She rose in distance for the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) on March 25 run on a Heavy (9) and was far from disgraced crossing only two lengths back for fourth to Montoya’s Secret in a field full of ATC Oaks hopes.

Foxplay will relish coming back to a mile on the weekend and is also back from 56kg in the Vinery to 54.5kg at WFA this weekend.

Leading the latest Queen Of The Turf Stakes odds ahead of Foxplay ($6) is Victorian raider Silent Sedition ($4.50).

The ultra-consistent War Chant four-year-old has run worse than third just once in her sixteen career starts and handed her Caulfield-based trainer Andrew Noblet his maiden Group 1 win last start at Moonee Valley in the William Reid Stakes (1200m).

That followed her devastatingly close second in the Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) two back on March 11, which was the mare’s first run in Sydney.

She is back racing in NSW this weekend with Noblet always planning to step her up to the mile off the William Reid Stakes run, a win in which was even a surprise to him.

“I thought she would run really well in the William Reid but to win it was a huge bonus,” he told AAP this week.

The Coolmore Classic winner Heavens Above is another standout in Queen Of The Turf Stakes betting, the Tim Martin-trained daughter of Street Cry after the double last done by Appearance in 2013.

The other mare the bookies are keeping safe in early markets for the Randwick card closer on Saturday is the Ron Quinton-trained Dixie Blossoms.

Another daughter of Street Cry, the sire of superstar mare Winx who steals the show on Saturday shooting for her seventeenth consecutive win in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Dixie Blossoms comes off a third in the Group 2 Emancipation Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill a fortnight ago.

The Emancipation Stakes has produced the past two Queen Of The Turf Stakes winners and the John Thompson-trained winner of the lead-up this autumn Zanbagh is also in the mix for the Group 1 on Saturday, but drawn wide out in barrier 16.

Check out the official 2017 Coolmore Legacy Stakes Field & Barriers below, betting on all the Randwick races on Saturday open at Ladbrokes.com.au.

2017 Legacy Queen Of The Turf Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw

Randwick Race 9 (4:35pm) – 08/01/2017