Chris Waller's Toorak Handicap winner Lady Shenandoah is a short-priced favourite for Saturday's Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes at Flemington.
The $1 million Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) is the Group 1 race for fillies and mares on Derby Day. With dual winner Pride Of Jenni not in this year's race, Lady Shenandoah is a clear favourite.
Lady Shenandoah heads the market
Chris Waller's mare is around the $2.30 to $2.40 mark after her last-start win in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap at Caulfield on 10 October. She started $5.50 equal favourite that day. Despite a tricky draw and a big weight, she held off Changing Colours by a head, with Welcometotheshow a short head away third. Waller said it was her fourth Group 1 win, and he named the Empire Rose as her next target soon after.
James McDonald rides again. Under weight-for-age conditions she carries 57kg and jumps from barrier 8, coming off a three-week break since the Toorak.
The main rivals
- Surfin' Bird (Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott, Blake Shinn, barrier 9) – second favourite at around $4.20 after a tough win last Saturday. She is having her first Group 1 start.
- Concord Connie (Charlotte Littlefield, Craig Williams, barrier 6) – next in the market at around $7.50.
- Unleeshing (Bjorn Baker, Jason Collett, barrier 10) – comes off a win in the Angst at Randwick.
- Idle Flyer (Matthew Smith, Mark Zahra, barrier 7) – had excuses at her last two starts, including a wide trip without cover last Saturday.
- Salty Pearl (Ciaron Maher, Ben Allen, barrier 1) – over-raced in the Toorak but has the rail draw.
Eleven mares have accepted. Sass Appeal (Danny O'Brien, Damian Lane, barrier 5) and Cilacap (Grahame Begg, Michael Dee, barrier 4) are also in the field.
The punting angle
Lady Shenandoah is the proven Group 1 performer in this field. She's also coming out of a handicap where she carried big weight, to weight-for-age terms. At around $2.35 the market rates her a strong favourite, so the key question is whether anything in the field can bridge the gap on her Group 1 form. With only 11 runners the pace could be steady, which would suit the mares that can sit closer to the speed.
The Empire Rose is scheduled to jump at 5:00pm on Saturday.