Set for Oaks glory

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

NOVEMBER 7, 2014

Set for Oaks glory

by Emma Berry

Making just her fourth racecourse appearance, Set Square

ran out the decisive winner of the Group 1 Crown Oaks at Flemington with

Saturday's Group 2 Wakeful Stakes heroine Thunder Lady running on gamely from a

difficult draw to take second.

The winner was supplemented for the race to the tune of

A$55,000 with her trainer Ciaron Maher confident of her ability to see out the 2500 meters of the

classic contest.

"She's been so progressive that we decided to make a

late nomination," said Maher, a former jump jockey with training stables at Caulfield and

Warrnambool.

"She's really thrived this preparation," he continued.

"Every time we've put a saddle on her or trialed her and raced her, she's just got better. I

train lots of stayers and jumpers and she has really shown me that she's a natural stayer. To me

there was no question that she would get the trip."

Third in her September 15 debut at Donald, Set Square

won a Ballarat maiden a little over three weeks later before posting a dominant

performance in the listed Ethereal Stakes at Caulfield on October 18.

"It's only her first

prep -- she's still a raw filly with so much developing to do," Maher noted. "She has a really bright future ahead

of her. I'd like to thank (owner) Ken King, who has put a lot of trust in us and has quite a

few horses in the stable."

Riding the daughter of Reset

for the first time, Hugh Bowman enhanced his already impressive record in the Flemington

classics, adding this season's Crown Oaks to his victory aboard 2008 Oaks winner

Samantha Miss. Bowman has also won the Victoria Derby three times on Polanski

(2013), Sangster (2011) and Lion Tamer (2010).

"It's just so great to be involved and ride a

group 1 winner in the biggest week of the year in Australian racing. Ciaron Maher is a great

conditioner of these middle-distance, staying-type horses," Bowman said. "I haven't ridden much for him but I

couldn't think of a better way to get the association going."

Keen in the early stages, Set Square raced just behind

the leaders on the rail before taking up the running 300 meters from home, her professional

finishing kick belying her relative inexperience.

"She took a bit of settling I didn't

really have her settled until around the 1800-meter mark," Bowman continued. "The pace was moderate but once she got

into a rhythm I was on the perfect horse to pounce."

Runner-up Thunder Lady had impressed many with her

three-quarter length victory over Abduction on Derby day and was

forced to make an eye-catching run around the outside of the field after being pushed to the

back of the Oaks pack. Starting to make her move under Tommy Berry with five furlongs left to

run, she came four wide on the turn and stuck resolutely to her task to finish 1

1/2 lengths off the winner, denying her trainer John Sargent a second Wakeful S.--Oaks double after

the success of Kirramosa last year.

"They went slowly which didn't suit us, she

ran alright but the winner got all the inside runs and we had to go around them,"

Berry said.

The Robbie Laing-trained Golconda, fourth in the Wakeful, took third, while favored Lumosty, one of three runners

for trainer Robert Smerdon, raced just behind the speed and looked a winner when switched out

in the stretch, but failed to stay the trip and finished sixth.