Toowoomba trainer Rex Lipp is hoping to get a better gauge of the 2017 Queensland Oaks hopes of his filly Our Beebee after she races for the second Saturday on the trot this weekend at Doomben.
Hoop Michael Cahill will give a post-race report on the 2017 Queensland Oaks chances of Rex Lipp’s filly Our Beebee this weekend at Doomben. Photo: Daniel Costello.
The three-year-old daughter of Red Dazzler took her career record up to four wins two back enjoying a nearly four length win over I’m A Rippa on April 1 over 1350m at Doomben Racecourse.
She returned to the same track and distance on Easter Saturday, but this time only managed to finish eighth behind the winner Deep Image.
Lipp has accepted Our Beebee for yet another Doomben run this Saturday, the filly one of a dozen runners in the $100,000 Listed Princess Stakes (1600m).
This weekend Michael Cahill takes over for regular rider Rebecca Williams on Our Beebee, but the jockey move is more about riding experience than performance according to Lipp.
“Bec has done nothing wrong but we’ve gone with experience as we want to get a guide on where we should go with the filly for the winter carnival,” Lipp told Racing Queensland.
“It wasn’t Bec’s fault Our Beebee was beaten last start. The filly hit a soft patch and floundered coming to the home turn and lost about four lengths.”
As yet untested over a mile, plans are to see how she handles the extra metres with Lipp to grill Cahill post-race to see how he thinks she goes over the distance.
All going well, Lipp would love to go all the way to Eagle Farm on June 3 and give Our Beebee a chance over the mile and a half of the $500,000 Group 1 Queensland Oaks (2400m).
“I want Michael to give me some guide whether he thinks she’s up to the Queensland Oaks or whether we should freshen her up and aim for the Queensland Guineas,” he said.
The $350,000 Group 2 Queensland Guineas (1600m) runs over the Eagle Farm mile on Stradbroke Handicap Day, June 10, a week after the Oaks.
Pre-nomination Queensland Oaks odds at bookmakers around the country are currently led by the likes of Vinery Stud Stakes winner Montoya’s Secret and the New Zealand-trained ATC Oaks champ Bonneval.
Our Beebee is also up the top half of the futures Queensland Oaks betting at around $15 to hand Lipp a second win in the race after his success with Tinto back in 2014.
Looking further ahead, Lipp believes Our Beebee will start to hit her stride later in the year and plans to send her to Victoria for a bid at the three-year-old Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival features.
The 2017 Queensland Oaks nominations close on Wednesday May 3, 2017 with futures betting to be updated shortly after at Ladbrokes.com.au.
