2022 Queensland Oaks betting preview | Eagle Farm | June 4

The $700,000 Queensland Oaks will see some of the land’s best three-year-old staying fillies do battle over 2200m. A full field has been assembled for the 2022 edition at Eagle Farm with 18 fillies set to face the starter, while five fillies are sweating on a run as emergencies.

Gypsy Goddess is the $3.80 favourite with online bookmakers after drawing an outside barrier, while Aravene has firmed right up into $4.60. Those are the only two fillies in single figures, with Barb Raider ($10), Belle Savoir and Honeycreeper (both $11) filling out the top few lines of betting.

We don’t expect there will be an abundance of speed or pressure in this race, with Gin Martini ($26) and Aravene likely to be in the first couple, while Barb Raider, Smirk ($26) and Teranga ($41) will want to be handy in the run too.

Continue reading for HorseBetting’s top selections and $100 betting strategy for the 2022 Queensland Oaks.

It is a fair old lottery this year, with a number of fillies all genuine winning chances. A number of the gallopers that we were keen to back have all drawn poorly, and while that didn’t matter in the Queensland Derby last weekend, we still want to be careful with it.

For that reason, we are siding with the Melbourne filly in ARAVENE, who brings some really good form lines to the Oaks following a demolition job at Rosehill on May 21. The daughter of Fastnet Rock defeated Ting Tong by three lengths in the 2000m event, relishing the heavy conditions to race away with the prize. Although she will be on a dry Eagle Farm track on Saturday, she is one of only a few fillies who are genuinely proven over the staying trip, with her last-start victory suggesting she will stay all day. Brett Prebble reunites with the Caroline Jennings-trained runner, and from barrier six, they should get a terrific run in transit and take plenty of beating.

Had SMIRK drawn a bit better than barrier 16, she would have been our on-top selection. The Chris Waller-trained daughter of Preferment finished in the minor money in two key lead-up races, indicating she is cherry ripe for Saturday’s Group 1 event. Waller has won this race three times before with Winx, Egg Tart and Youngstar, so the fact that Smirk is his only runner in 2022 – provided Savagal doesn’t gain a start from fifth emergency – suggests she will be there to win. Tommy Berry will partner Smirk for the first time on Saturday, with James McDonald hopping back aboard Dynasties, but Berry has been in some good form, riding winners at the last two Eagle Farm meetings. Hopefully, Berry will bring Smirk across from the wide gate early and get her into a rhythm, as she should be fit enough and good enough to finish the race off strongly.

There is a fair chance that brothers Edward and James Cummings discuss training tactics, because James has simply hit copy and paste on what Duais did 12 months ago for Ed. James Cummings and Hugh Bowman combine on Saturday with HONEYCREEPER, who brings identical form lines to last year’s winner. Duais won the Group 3 Adrian Knox, tasted defeat in the Australian Oaks and then didn’t have another run until the Queensland Oaks, which she of course won under Bowman. Fast-forward 12 months, and Honeycreeper won the Adrian Knox, was beaten in the Australian Oaks and now has not raced since as she prepares to give Bowman back-to-back victories in this race. Coincidence? Maybe, but we are pretty confident that this has been the plan from the outset for this beautifully bred filly.

Queensland Oaks 2022 selections & best bets

• 12

  ARAVENE

• 14

  SMIRK

• 6

  HONEYCREEPER

• 2

  GYPSY GODDESS

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