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The “unbelievable” form reference for the Oaks
Andrew Slevison • November 6th, 2025 11:11 am
There is a form reference which must be taken very seriously when considering the Crown Oaks.
The Group 1 for three-year-old fillies over 2500m takes place at Flemington today and there is generally only one lead-up race worth following.
The Wakeful Stakes (2000m), which is run on Derby Day, is the one race you want to be watching replays of in order to find the Oaks winner.
Hot favourite Getta Good Feeling was dominant in winning the Group 2 Wakeful by about 1.3 lengths under Mark Zahra last Saturday which has resulted in her being the firm $1.80 fave with Sportsbet.
In behind Danny O’Brien’s Getta Good Feeling in the Wakeful was Strictly Business in second, Voting Rights in third and Ethereum Girl in sixth. That group must be considered in exotics.
Last year Treasurethe Moment won the Wakeful before winning the Oaks and the lead-up form goes much further back than that, says racing broadcaster Jason Richardson.
“The stats in regards to the Wakeful are unbelievable,” Richardson said on SENTrack & RSN’s Get On Spring.
“There’s been 88 fillies that have won the Wakeful and then had a crack at the Oaks. 39 out of the 88 have won it.
“The Wakeful winner into the Oaks, 39 out of 88, that is extraordinary.”
Co-host Lizzie Jelfs said succinctly: “That is THE form reference, that is THE lead-up.”
If you look back at recent years, it’s the clear form reference with the Wakeful delivering nine of the past 15 Oaks winners. All but one of those nine ran top two in the Wakeful.
Recent Oaks winners
(Wakeful position in brackets)
2024: Treasurethe Moment (1st)2023: Zardozi (2nd)2021: Willowy (1st)2020: Personal (2nd)2019: Miami Bound (1st)2018: Aristia (1st)2013: Kirramosa (1st)2012: Dear Demi (4th)2010: Brazilian Pulse (1st)
But the Ethereal Stakes has also been an ok form reference with the winner claiming two of the last 15 Oaks.
Spicy Liu beat Just A Journey and After Summer - all Oaks runners - to claim the Ethereal at Caulfield on October 18.
The Oaks is run at 5:10pm AEDT today (Thursday).
Getta Good Feeling is a firm $1.80 favourite ahead of Chris Waller’s The Pearls ($7.50), Michael Freedman’s Just A Journey ($9), Nick Olive’s Spicy Liu ($10) and Thomas Carberry’s Strictly Business ($11).
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