Arrhythmia winning the 2026 NSW Oaks
RAGING hot Queensland Oaks favourite Arrhythmia will miss the race.
After much deliberation, co-trainer Clayton Tonkin confirmed the brilliant NSW Oaks winner would stay home to prepare for the Victoria Oaks and Vicbred series in coming months.
“You can’t run in everything,” Tonkin said. “We’ve got a couple of other fillies in Bettor Beach and Pre Eminant to go up for the (Queensland) Oaks, so she (Arrhythmia) will stay home and target the big races here.”
Arrhythmia, who boasts 10 wins from just 12 starts, was $2 favourite for the Queensland Oaks before the news.
Despite her absence, Tonkin and co-trainer Emma Stewart will have by far the biggest team of raiders they have ever taken interstate.
“We’ll have 16 up there, if you include the two Allan (McDonough) trains,” Stewart said.
“The first five are already up there. Susan Is Her Name, Bay Of Biscay, War Dan Buddy and Oliver Dan all left Wednesday and arrived yesterday (Friday).
“Then we’ve got another eight leaving by road tomorrow. They are Bettor Beach and Pre Eminant for the Oaks, Brooklyn Dan, Cardigan Dan, Dynamitedan and Major Blitz for the Derby and a two-year-old for some Qbred races.
“The last group will be the Protostar horses (two-year-olds). There are four of them. Comeandsee, Cardigan Jem, Kahula and Ideal Frankie.”
Of all the stable runners, brilliant but injury plagued trotting mare Susan Is Her Name stirs the most interest.
She is the only trotter to have beaten champion mare Keayang Zahara in a race, which she did in the Group 1 Macarthur Mile at Menangle 15 months ago.
Amazingly, Susan Is Her Name hasn’t raced since, but has sparkled in two recent trial wins against the pacers at Melton.
“She’s handled the trip well and we can’t wait to get her into the series,” Stewart said.
Despite the long absence from the races, Susan Is Her Name is $5 second favourite to local star Gus to win the $500,000 Inter Dominion trotting final on July 18.
PHOTO: Club Menangle/Pacepix
