Fireburn looking red hot for Queensland Oaks

Wandering Eyes · May 31, 2023

Fireburn looks the one to beat in the Queensland Oaks at Eagle Farm this weekend. (Photo: Lisa Grimm)

Fireburn will be out to set the Eagle Farm course ablaze as heels turn for home in the Group 1 Queensland Oaks on Saturday.

She is a two-time Group 1 winner who has amassed over $4 million in race earnings, and trainer Gary Portelli will have her ready for the 2200m contest.

The race has attracted a field of quality fillies with Fireburn a $3.50 favourite on the top betting sites off the back of a tight victory in The Roses at Doomben a fortnight ago.

In work yesterday she ran over the 1200m and ran the last 200m in 10.1 seconds, which is sure to have put her rivals on notice.

In the way of Fireburn taking that third Group 1 is Affaire A Suivre ($6.50), trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.

She comes into this contest off the back of three victories including the Group 1 Australasian Oaks at Morphettville last start, where she beat home She’s Fit and stablemate Jennilala.

2023 Australasian Oaks replay

Winner: Affaire A Suivre

Affaire A Suivre will be looking to build on her $361,600 in prize money while taking her second Oaks to add to the war chest she has collected over the past three months.

“She’s very much on track, she has come through the trial well and she is up here in Queensland now,” Maher said.

“She won’t be doing too much work because she is right to go, the fitness is there and she is a big, scopey filly who looks very healthy in the skin.

“I don’t think she has to improve really, she was big in Adelaide, she was wide, went early and sustained a strong gallop.

“If she can repeat that effort on Saturday, she will be right in this.

“To the eye and everything she has shown me at home, there’s no reason she can’t repeat that effort again.”

Maher and Eustace are in hot form after winning The Goodwood with Royal Merchant, leading the Victorian trainers’ championship table as they hunt for their first win of the Queensland carnival on Saturday.

Of the local hopes, Madame Odette ($26) leads the charge having not won since last September in the Toowoomba Guineas.

She will be looking to build on her second-placing in the Listed Princess Stakes two starts ago at Doomben.

“We have been struggling to draw a barrier with her, the plan was to roll forward the other day and she couldn’t sustain it,” trainer Tony Gollan said.

“I’m realistic about where she sits in the Oaks scheme, there are two or three fillies there that are really good apart from the rest.

“She is part of the rest.”

2023 Queensland Oaks final field

No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight
1	Fireburn	Gary Portelli	Jason Collett	16	56.5kg
2	Affaire A Suivre	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	John Allen	13	56.5kg
3	Renaissance Woman	Bjorn Baker	Joshua Parr	6	56.5kg
4	So Dazzling	John Sargent	Craig Williams	11	56.5kg
5	Tyresa	Kelly Schweida	Larry Cassidy	12	56.5kg
6	Noah ‘N’ A Deel	Les Kelly	Sean Cormack	10	56.5kg
7	Sakura Girl	Ben Foote	TBC	21	56.5kg
8	Super Chilled	Chris Waller	James McDonald	18	56.5kg
9	Madame Odette	Tony Gollan	Ryan Maloney	3	56.5kg
10	Let Me Reign	Lee & Cherie Curtis	James Orman	14	56.5kg
11	Divine Purpose	Clinton Taylor	Ben Thompson	4	56.5kg
12	Proscenium Arch	Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	Tim Clark	8	56.5kg
13	Original Glaze	Trevor Lambourn	TBC	2	56.5kg
14	Cheval D’or	Tony Pike	Michael McNab	20	56.5kg
15	Reo	Richard Laming	Martin Harley	5	56.5kg
16	Yankee Hussel	Kris Lees	Andrew Mallyon	9	56.5kg
17	Amokura	Kris Lees	Damien Oliver	1	56.5kg
18	Caring Lass	Matthew Smith	Rachel King	19	56.5kg
19	Fireflies (1E)	Brett Cavanough	Jake Bayliss	15	56.5kg
20	Kalea (2E)	Renita Beaton	Chad Schofield	22	56.5kg
21	Rockbarton Road (3E)	Joe Cleary	TBC	23	56.5kg
22	California Grass (4E)	John Thompson	TBC	17	56.5kg
23	Artful Girl (5E)	Kevin Kemp	Marnu Potgieter	3	56.5kg