Joe Pride has some serious stable stars at present in Eduardo and Private Eye, but he might also have an Oaks filly in the mix and we saw her at Wyong on Tuesday.
A dashing grey daughter of Westbury Stud’s proven classic sire Reliable Man (GB), Lekvarte broke her maiden with an impressive win in a mile maiden at Newcastle last December ad was then given a short break with a view to the autumn.
She reappeared in a Benchmark 64 event over 1350m and was super impressive, zooming around the field to bolt clear under Jay Ford and win by three and a half lengths.
“We’ve got her on an Oaks path and she needed to win like that today,” said Joe Pride.
“She’s a beautiful filly, built more like a colt.”
A $210,000 Karaka Book 1 purchase from the Westbury Stud draft for BK Racing & Breeding / Andrew Williams Bloodstock, Lekvarte runs in the BK Racing and Breeding colours and has now won two of seven starts and placed twice.
Lekvarte was the most expensive filly by Reliable Man sold at Karaka in 2020.
She is a half-sister to stakes-placed Total Power and is the third winner from Encosta de Lago mare Plumm, who was third in the Group III ATC Adrian Knox Stakes and is a daughter of Madam Plume, who was second in a Group I South Australian Oaks.
Given the female family and the prowess of Reliable Man, who has left Oaks winners Miami Bound and Miss Sentimental, it’s not hard to see why connections are thinking Oaks for Lekvarte.
