IT'S GYPSY GODDESS' QUEENSLAND OAKS

By Graham Potter | Saturday, June 4, 2022

It doesn’t get much better than this.

The David Vandyke trained Gypsy Goddess … a Group 3 winner after only four starts … still unbeaten after five starts … then placed twice at Group 1 level and once in Listed company … and now, a Group 1 winner, am honour she claimed with some aplomb.

To win the Group 1 Queensland Guineas in her home state in front of her home crowd only enhanced the glory of the moment for Gypsy Goddess and all of her connections.

“I’m not going to tell (jockey) Willie (Pike) what to do from the wide barrier,” said Vandyke in the days preceding the big race. “I’m going to let Willie do whatever he wants. He’ll just sum it up … the way she jumps … and just work it out from there. I think trying to tie him down to something from that barrier wouldn’t be wise on my part.”

As things turned out, Vandyke had left Gypsy Goddess in very good hands.

Jumping from the widest barrier in the eighteen strong field, Gypsy Goddess (the $4.40 favourite) jumped cleanly with Pike electing to take her back in the short run to the first turn and the daughter of Tarzino eased across slowly to settle third last as the field turned out of the home straight after passing the winning post for the first time.

That then left Gypsy Goddess all of fourteen lengths off the early speed as the $41 bolter Nyota took the field down the back straight.

Pike held his station until the 700m mark when, while still twelve lengths off the lead at that stage, Pike gave Gypsy Goddess slightly more rein and Gypsy Goddess quickly showed she was relishing even that little bit more freedom by pulling herself past runners at a real rate of knots, even though she still looked to be under a hold.

That move had been made out wide and Gypsy Goddess just kept travelling sweetly all through the sweep to the home turn, to the degree that she was just four lengths off the action on straightening … albeit, seven wide, covering plenty of ground.

Gypsy Goddess was still full of running, but it is a long home straight, and the concern now had to be … had Gypsy Goddess gone too hard, too soon and would she have enough petrol left to attack the finish line.

The $5 second favourite Barb Raider wasn’t going to die wondering about that.

The Jerome Hunter trained runner, who finished runner-up in the Group 1 Australasian Oaks at Morphettville before winning the Group 2 The Roses at Eagle Farm in her previous two starts, attempted to lay down the law to the opposition, kicking for home strongly in the first half of the straight. La Villi ($15) was also right there, trying to hang on to Barb Raider … and Gypsy Goddess was still coming.

Going through the 300m mark there was now only a length between Barb Raider and Gypsy Goddess, with La Villi battling on in-between those two runners.
At the 200m Gypsy Goddess had reached Barb Raider and they were now virtually side by side in the lead.

One second it looked like all of the momentum was with Gypsy Goddess … the next second it looked like Bard Raider was still right there, fighting back strongly … and it was only at the 100m mark that Gypsy Goddess finally put the matter to rest, edging clear to win by a length from the very game Barb Raider with the $15 chance La Villi a further half length back in third behind that.

This was Gypsy Goddess’s landmark, first Group 1 win … and it was as fabulous a win as it was well deserved!

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