Chris Waller has dominated the Group 1 Queensland Oaks in recent years with the likes of Winx (2015), Egg Tart (2017) and Youngstar (2018) and with five acceptors the champion Sydney trainer will have a big say in Saturday’s classic at Doomben.
But Waller faces some stiff competition from the powerful stable of Novocastrian Kris Lees who has four acceptors but just two of those are guaranteed a start.
Australian Bloodstock’s admirably consistent Hinchinbrook filly Aliferous is the better fancied of the two but we like the chances of the progressive Redoute’s Choice filly Angel Of Heaven who is certainly bred to win an Oaks.
The Judi Wanless homebred is the second foal of the Zabeel mare Lights Of Heaven (image Mark Smith) who looked a star in the making when she won her first four starts culminating in the 2011 Group 1 SAJC Australasian Oaks.
The Peter Moody-trained mare took another 14 months and nine starts before she was in the winner’s circle again. That came in the Group II Eagle Farm Cup however she had earned placings in the Caulfield Stakes, Doomben Cup, JJ Liston Stakes and Hollindale Cup in between time.
Seven days after winning the Eagle Farm Cup, Lights Of Heaven romped home a 3-length winner of the Group II Brisbane Cup (2400m).
The following season at five, Lights Of Heaven added the Group III Neville Sellwood Stakes at Rosehill and the Group II Hollindale Cup at the Gold Coast, bowing out of racing with a record of 8 wins 4 seconds and 3 thirds from 25 starts with earnings of $1,575,488.
The daughter of Zabeel is out of the Volksraad (IRE) mare I’m In Heaven whom Wanless had bought as a yearling.
I’m In Heaven proved more than useful winning six and placing in 10 of her 36 starts.
A sister to the Group III Highview Stakes winner Eloa, and a half-sister to Group 1 ARC Auckland Diamond Stakes winner Dal Cielo (Per Incanto), I’m In Heaven is out of the stakes-placed Centaine mare Cent From Heaven, herself a sister to Group II winner Perfect World and to Lodore Magic, the dam of the multiple Group 1 winner Alamosa.
Cent Of Heaven’s great granddam Chiquita was one of the stars of the turf in the early 1950’s.
Noted for some great battles with the champion Comic Court, the Tony Lopes-trained mare won seven races in succession at the 1949 Melbourne Spring Carnival including the VRC Oaks, Edward Manifold Stakes, One Thousand Guineas and Wakeful Stakes.
A year later she finished second to Grey Boots in the Caulfield Cup and was runner-up to her old nemesis Comic Court in the Melbourne Cup.
She met Comic Court again in much friendlier circumstances in the breeding barn and the result of that was Comiquita who finished second to Even Stevens in the 1962 Melbourne Cup.
But perhaps her most famous offspring was the 1964 Golden Slipper and AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Eskimo Prince.
Owned by ‘colourful racing personality’ Perc Galea, the son of Todman would go on to win the Rosehill Guineas, Hill Stakes and Canterbury Stakes at three.
Angel Of Heaven has some way to go to equal the feats of her ancestors.
The daughter of the recently deceased champion Redoute’s Choice (image Mark Smith) takes a massive leap on Saturday as her seven-start career to date has yielded wins at Port Macquarie, Scone and Newcastle. But she showed she was on an upward trajectory with a last start second in the Group III Grand Prix Stakes (2200m) at Eagle Farm.
