Latest News

By Ray Hickson

New Zealand Oaks winner Pennyweka would be sitting in a paddock right now had compatriot Prowess taken her place in Saturday’s Group 1 $1m The Star Australian Oaks (2400m) but trainer Jim Wallace is more than happy to fly the flag in her absence.

Trainer Jim Wallace (Pic: Trish Dunell)

It’s been some 20 year since Wallace was a player in the Sydney autumn carnival, he had his multiple Group 1 winner Cent Home runner-up to Sunline in the 2002 All Aged Stakes and the horse also competed in the Queen Elizabeth that year.

Pennyweka is a different type, Wallace describes her a strong stayer and is confident she has another run in her this campaign.

“She was never going to come over,’’ Wallace said.

“I felt after she’d run in the New Zealand Oaks that’d be enough and she could have some time in the paddock. But she did so well we had another think about it.

“It’s hard to line her up against Prowess, she’s a bit special, and I certainly wouldn’t like to be taking her on at a mile and a quarter. But once you get beyond a mile and a quarter it’s a different story.

“If Prowess was in the race I’d probably still be at home.”

Prowess won the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill last month by over three lengths but her trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood elected not to press on to the Oaks so Wallace and the owners elected to pay the late entry fee.

It will only be three weeks since Pennyweka’s runaway NZ Oaks win when she arrives at Randwick and Wallace said while drawn wide it won’t affect now she’s ridden.

The last Kiwi trained filly to win the Australian Oaks was the Murray Baker prepared Bonneval in 2017 and that filly was also coming off an NZ Oaks win.

“We realise it is a big ask for this filly,’’ he said.

“We don’t have a lot of things to judge her against but so far everything has gone well.

“I’m happy with what she’s done at the moment and I’m sure she will be a better horse next year.

“What she has got is she’s a very good stayer. She’s got form on wet ground and form on top of the ground so I’m not worried about a wet track.

“She tends to get back a little so as long as we can find a clear run from the half mile she will have her chance.”

The filly was $5 with TAB on Tuesday, on the second line of betting, and one thing that can be said for sure is she’ll have plenty of people cheering for her.

Wallace, who describes himself as a ‘hobby trainer’ these days with four horses in work, said there are 70 people in the ownership of Pennyweka.

"The dream's coming true here!"

Pennyweka wins the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks with ease! pic.twitter.com/blJVVywQGR

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 18, 2023

She’s a syndicated horse and many of the owners have small shares but that led to some amazing scenes at Trentham.

There was a huge amount of sentiment around the win as well, as Wallace explained it was a difficult week for his family.

“It was incredible,’’ he said.

“We’d had a whole lot of things going on in the family, my daughter in law died a few weeks earlier and my mother had passed away in that week, we had the whole family there and when you add the syndicate it made for a special day.”

All the fields, form and replays for Day 2 of The Star Championships at Randwick