Unbeaten filly Proxima Dea has drawn barrier 19 for Thursday’s $1 million VRC Oaks at Flemington, while Chris Waller’s Wakeful Stakes winner De Armas will jump from barrier one with James McDonald aboard.
The final field of 16, plus four emergencies, is listed in the official Racing Australia fields for Oaks Day on Thursday 5 November. The Group 1 Oaks (2500m) for three-year-old fillies is race eight on the Flemington card, with a 5:10pm AEDT start. It is run at set weights, so every filly carries 56kg, and the winner collects $600,000.
Proxima Dea, trained by David Payne and ridden by Zac Lloyd, has won all five of her starts, including the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on 24 October. The Oaks will be her first attempt at 2500 metres, and her wide draw makes the task “much trickier”, Racing.com reported.
Payne: ‘The further, the better’
Payne said after the Spring Champion Stakes that the step up in trip would suit the filly. “We know the further, the better with this filly,” he said, as quoted by the Hong Kong Jockey Club via Racing and Sports. “She can go to the Oaks now. The extra 500 metres won’t be a problem – she will love it, and we can give her an easier ride.”
Proxima Dea also drew the outside gate in the nine-horse Spring Champion Stakes, but crossed to sit outside the leader before winning by a length and a half. Stormy Marco, who went on to win the Victoria Derby, finished fourth that day.
Read more: 2026 Spring Champion Stakes Review: What The Jockeys Said
Waller trio led by De Armas
De Armas was a dominant winner of the Group 2 Wakeful Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on Saturday 31 October, according to Racing.com, and the New Zealand-bred filly appears to be Proxima Dea’s biggest danger. Blake Shinn rode her that day, but James McDonald takes over, with Shinn on stablemate Your Colour (barrier 14) and Damian Lane on Waller’s third runner, Tharwa (17).
Waller’s stable representative Darren Beadman described Shinn’s Wakeful win as a “12 out of 10 ride”. “She didn’t really get around Caulfield the other day, but the big track here obviously suits her,” Beadman said, as quoted by Racing and Sports.
Read more: Ciaron Maher Makes History With First Melbourne Cup Trifecta
Cup-winning jockey Ethan Brown on Icelady
Ethan Brown, who won the Melbourne Cup on Point Of Law on Tuesday, rides Ciaron Maher’s Icelady from barrier four. Icelady finished third, two and three-quarter lengths behind De Armas, in the Wakeful Stakes.
Quick Finish, the only filly in the Victoria Derby, ran third behind Stormy Marco and backs up from barrier five for Tony and Calvin McEvoy, with Jye McNeil to ride again. The McEvoys also have Expensive Taste (barrier 11) in the field and Courting among the emergencies.
Strictly Business won the Oaks last year, and the full honour roll is in our list of every VRC Oaks winner.
VRC Oaks 2026 field and barriers
- Barrier 1: De Armas (NZ) – Chris Waller (trainer), James McDonald, 56kg
- Barrier 4: Icelady – Ciaron Maher (trainer), Ethan Brown, 56kg
- Barrier 5: Quick Finish – Tony and Calvin McEvoy (trainer), Jye McNeil, 56kg
- Barrier 6: Waiheke Rose (NZ) – Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott (trainer), Jordan Childs, 56kg
- Barrier 7: Voynichese – Nick Olive (trainer), Declan Bates, 56kg
- Barrier 8: Shameful Impulse – Rob Blacker (trainer), William Pike, 56kg
- Barrier 10: Churchill Rose – Andrew Gluyas (trainer), Craig Williams, 56kg
- Barrier 11: Expensive Taste – Tony and Calvin McEvoy (trainer), Luke Currie, 56kg
- Barrier 12: Salann – Ben Brisbourne (trainer), Rachel King, 56kg
- Barrier 13: Refuse To Curtsy – Thomas Carberry (trainer), John Allen, 56kg
- Barrier 14: Your Colour – Chris Waller (trainer), Blake Shinn, 56kg
- Barrier 15: Notified – Archie Alexander (trainer), Billy Egan, 56kg
- Barrier 16: Nikitria – Clinton McDonald (trainer), Ben Melham, 56kg
- Barrier 17: Tharwa – Chris Waller (trainer), Damian Lane, 56kg
- Barrier 18: Joely – Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young (trainer), Kerrin McEvoy, 56kg
- Barrier 19: Proxima Dea – David Payne (trainer), Zac Lloyd, 56kg
Emergencies
- Barrier 2: Little Ally Bama – Andrew Bobbin (trainer), Linda Meech, 56kg
- Barrier 3: Quynh – Emma-Lee and David Browne (trainer), rider to be confirmed, 56kg
- Barrier 9: Chocolate Freckles – Pat Carey and Harris Walker (trainer), Celine Gaudray, 56kg
- Barrier 20: Courting – Tony and Calvin McEvoy (trainer), rider to be confirmed, 56kg
The emergencies can only come into the field if there are scratchings. The first race on Oaks Day is at 1pm AEDT.
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