SCHWEPPES OAKS

(GROUP 1)

HAVING achieved so many milestones since his first Group 1 winner in 2008 with Triple Honour it’s remarkable to think that Chris Waller had not trained a winner in South Australia prior to Saturday. Cue one of South Australia’s favourite sons, ‘the Streaky Bay Kid’, aka Kerrin McEvoy. Combining with Waller’s Sebring filly Egg Tart, McEvoy produced a gem of a ride to land the Group 1 Schweppes Oaks over 2,010 metres at Morphettville.

“It’s my second Group 1 here. I won the Derby and now I’ve won the Oaks, so I’m really pleased to get it done for the owners and connections,” said McEvoy who landed the 2010 Derby on Kidnapped. “This is Chris’s first winner here, so it’s nice to be getting good rides for Chris.” Absent from Morphettville, Waller was in the US for the Kentucky Derby, stable foreman Leon Davies was on hand and said: “She’s a progressive filly. Chris has taken his time with her. If she pulls up well now, she may head on to Queensland.”

Produced from near the tail, McEvoy weaved through the middle of the field, maintaining Egg Tart’s momentum to charge down and catch the race favourite Kenedna, a Not A Single Doubt filly that with one less stride in the race would have seen her rider Johnny Allen celebrating his second Group 1 win.

“She did it quite soft in the end,” added McEvoy of Egg Tart. “She’s a filly that just kept improving. She relished the extra trip and she’ll stay further either to the Oaks (South Australian Fillies Classic over 2,500 metres) here in two weeks time or onto Brisbane. She’s not overly big, so there’s a chance that she might improve a bit more.”

Bought for A$40,000 by Oliver Koolman at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale yearling, Egg Tart is the third Group 1 winner for Sebring and has now improved her record to five wins from seven starts.