By Daniel Harrold and Tayla Dyke

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Pakenham-based trainer Phillip Stokes is set for a busy day at Caulfield on Saturday as he saddles up live chances in both the Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) and the card’s feature, the Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m).

Stokes is currently operating at a strike-rate of 20.8 per cent this season, having sent out 72 runners as of the end of play on Friday for 15 winners and a further 15 placings.

His main runners on Saturday’s Caulfield Cup card are the OTI Racing-owned Deakin (Australia) in the cup itself, and Guineas hopeful Ferivia (Astern) – who runs for the Brook family’s Saddlers Knife syndicate.

Ferivia was priced at $15 for the Guineas on Friday which saw her sit on the fifth line of betting behind raging $2.10 favourite Apocalyptic (Extreme Choice), despite the Stokes-trained filly having landed the Thousand Guineas Prelude (Gr 2, 1400m) at Sandown-Hillside on her latest start.

Sent off at $11 that day, the daughter of Astern (Medaglia D’Oro) looked beaten in the straight in truth, but dug deep to tenaciously fend off all challengers and record a narrow 0.1 lengths success over Ole Dancer (Ole Kirk) – who re-opposes on Saturday.

Despite the race’s name, the Thousand Guineas Prelude – which was first run in 1965 – has seen only four fillies go on to claim glory in the main event itself the following month; Irish Lights (Fastnet Rock), Miss Finland (Redoute’s Choice), Azzurro (Bluebird) and Bianco Flyer (Godswalk).

However, as poor a record that may be, it has not stopped the Prelude winners running very well in the Guineas itself, with many going on to place (and at big odds) in the $1.5 million Classic.

Ferivia is already a dual winner at Group level, having also landed the Quezette Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) back on August 16, and Stokes feels that his runner is a fair each-way hope in the Group 1 contest.

“She’s been in work a long time, but holding her condition well, still working well, we think she’ll run a strong mile,” Stokes told ANZ News.

“The top weight [Apocalyptic] looks very hard to beat, but we are drawn [barrier three] to get a good run, and I think she’s a good each-way chance.

“She won well at Caulfield [in the Guineas Prelude]. The horse from Sydney [Apocalyptic] still has to come down and go this way, I suppose, so we’ve got a few things in our favour. But she’s very tough and I think she can get the mile.”

Out to the mile for the first time under regular rider Lachlan Neindorf, Ferivia could be a landmark winner for the Brook’s family – who also bred the filly.

“It would be huge to get a Group 1 win for them,” Stokes added. “They’re big supporters of our stable and David [Brook] breeds all his own, he does all the pedigree stuff and here we are.”

Just two races later and Stokes will be having a crack at another Group 1 contest, this time in the feature Caulfield Cup with OTI’s Irish import, Deakin.

 

The gelded six-year-old was twice a winner in his native Ireland when trained by Joseph O’Brien and has taken to Australian racing well, scoring three times from eight starts – including stakes victories in the Torney Night Cup (Listed, 2500m) and Roy Higgins Quality (Listed, 2600m).

The latter of those wins secured Deakin a spot in next month’s Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) and that race is the main target for the gelding’s season, but not before a shot at Half Yours (St Jean) and co in this weekend’s time-honoured handicap under his regular partner Daniel Stackhouse – where he is available at odds of $17.

Deakin has made three starts so far this campaign and has improved with each of those, running a first-up 12th over 1400 metres in a Benchmark 100, before a seventh over 1700 metres at Flemington and a last-start sixth in the Turnbull Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) – where he was beaten less than three lengths by the winner and late Caulfield and Melbourne Cup absentee Sir Delius (Frankel) and just 0.1 lengths behind fourth placegetter Half Yours.

“I think [the Turnbull] is the right form line going into this race. He is still yet to be proven at the elite-level, but he has prepped up beautifully for it,” Stokes said. 

“We obviously didn’t have to rush things because we’ve already got his ticket into the Melbourne Cup. He’s drawn [barrier seven] to get a beautiful run and I really feel he’s a top-four chance.

“I think the 2400 [metres] is perfect. We have yet to see if he can run two miles, but he’s relaxing better. We’ve just had a little gear change of a kineton noseband and he’s just dropping his head that bit better and coming back, so that’s pleasing. 

“We’re really happy with him. We are hoping to settle three back one off and that’ll be perfect.”

Saturday’s feature races are not the only contests at Caulfield in which Stokes will field runners, with fellow Brook’s family-owned Matahga (Tivaci) going in the card-opening Lamaro’s Hotel Plate (1400m) and Stretan Angel (Harry Angel) lining up in the Alinghi Stakes (Listed, 1100m) four races later.

The former will be making his first start as a three-year-old, having last been seen winning the Oaklands Plate (Listed, 1400m) at Morphettville on June 28, a victory that took his overall record to two wins and a second from just three outings.

A colt by Tivaci (High Chaparral), Matahga was purchased by Stokes for NZ$80,000 during Book 1 of the 2024 Karaka Yearling Sale out of Waikato Stud and has had two recent jumpouts in the lead-up to this weekend’s $150,000 plate.

“He’s fit enough. He just found those jump outs a bit sharp for him. I think he’s going to be a nice mile, probably a 2000-metre horse, so we are probably setting him for the Sandown Guineas,” Stokes said.

“We just hope he can be running on and potentially running a place. Lachie [Lachlan Neindorf] knows him well. He’s a nice middle-distance, three-year-old horse and potentially could be on an SA Derby path in the autumn.”

While holding high hopes for Matahga, Stokes is hoping that his five-year-old mare Stretan Angel can bounce back from a disappointing last-start 11th in the Gilgai Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) as she drops back in grade for Saturday’s Alinghi.

“She is definitely better than that [in the Gilgai],” Stokes said. “She drew the inside, so elected to drag her back to get to the outside of then and see if she could let down, and she let down, but the bird had already flown. 

“But the start before she ran really well [when second in The Taggart]. So I’m sure she can bounce back. 

“Her work was good, we have taken the blinkers off again. She’s just got to have the race shape with good speed and she can figure in the finish. Her best is definitely good enough, but we just only have been seeing it periodically.

“The pressure will be on, so that will be good for her. She’ll be second half or even a bit further back and getting to the outside and hopefully show that good turn and foot she’s got.”