Stravinsky Filly Wins Australian Oaks

Serenade Rose completed her domination of Australasia's 3-year-old filly stayers with a decisive victory in the Australian Oaks (Aust-I) at Randwick April 19.

The Stravinsky filly broke a 15-year-old race record on her way to victory in the $750,0000 (Australian funds) classic. The regulation 1 ½-mile was over in 2:28.80 -- 1.2 seconds inside the mark established by another dominatrix, Triscay, in 1991.

Glen Boss gained the ride on the 4-7 favorite through the suspension of Steven King, seven times a winner on Serenade Rose. It was Boss's first major ride for the Lee Freedman barn since they combined to win a third successive Melbourne Cup (Aust-I) with the retired Makybe Diva in November.

Success was far more muted this time, but for this Rose it completed a grand classic season as the ninth winner of the Victoria (Aust-) and Australia Oaks in the past 35 years. She also grabbed group I success in the Storm Queen Stakes on the way to Randwick.

The Rose missed out when third behind Mnemosyne and Rewaaya in the 1,000 Guineas (Aust-I) last spring, but has won two group II races at a mile and is unbeaten in four races beyond that distance.

The winner's purse of $420,000 for the Australian Jockey Club's Oaks takes her earnings beyond $1.725 million. She has finished first or second in 11 of 14 career starts for her half-dozen owners.

Six of her eight wins have been in graded races and she should just about top the classic-year ranking of both sexes as no male has won more than one group I, Derby hero Headturner the pick of them.

As an Australian Easter yearling in 2004 she realized $400,000 to the bid of Adrian Nichol. The Irish agent found her in the Brooklyn Lodge draft, where she had been placed by her breeders, the Best Western Group.

Serenade Rose is from the second southern crop by Stravinsky, a Nureyev 3-time group I winner in England at two and three before commuting from Coolmore's Ashford Stud to leading New Zealand nursery Cambridge. Her dam, Rose Of Tralee, is a locally-foaled daughter of Sadler's Wells.

Flora Danica (13-1), a 1 3/4 length second, also completed a set as the closest of Serenade Rose's pursuers at the wire in the Victioria Oaks at Flemington in November. The problem for the filly's crew is that this Danehill is a still a non-winner, despite earnings of $370,000.

Belong to Me filly Beauty Watch (9-1) ran up to her second behind Serenade Rose in the Storm Queen at Rosehill with a creditable third, beaten three lengths.

Beauty Watch's Lane's End Farm sire did better in the undercard, the group I the Galaxy, Proprietor springing a 40-1 upset for the Paul Perry barn.

Proprietor defeated Media (by Gilded Time) to win by a neck, Queensland sprinter Black Ink a similar distance away in third. The 5 1/2 furlongs of the $375,000 feature ticked by in 1:03.18 seconds.

It was the 10th win in 30 starts for the gelded 6-year-old bred by South Australian farm Toorak Park. A $65,000 yearling in Sydney five years ago, Proprietor has won over $500,000.

Belong to Me did not shuttle from Lane's End to Widden Stud in 2005 after pulling a double shift for a six-years, but is expected to resume in the south this year.