Midnight Oil emulated top-class fillies Princess Coup and Justa Tad when she scored a half-length victory in the G1 New Zealand Oaks on Saturday.  The trio all won the G3 Lowland Stakes in recent years before completing the classic double at Trentham.

Midnight Oil (3f Keeper – Gilded Light by Zabeel) lined up against a top-class field in the Oaks which was also the last leg of the NZ Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series.  

King’s Rose (Redoute’s Choice) held an unassailable lead for the Filly of the Year but she didn’t fire as the even-money favourite in the Oaks finishing a well-beaten seventh.

Midnight Oil is trained by Paul Duncan at Cambridge and she defeated Zennista (Zenno Rob Roy) and Insurgent (Ishiguru) to improve her record to 4 wins from 8 starts on Saturday.  King’s Rose inflicted her only defeat this year in the G2 Sir Tristram Fillies Classic at Te Rapa.

The Oaks winner is raced by the Nineteenth Syndicate after failing to make a $20,000 reserve at the 2009 NZB Select yearling sale at Karaka.  She is the first foal of a mare that hails from the family of G1 AJC and SAJC Oaks winner Our Tristalight (Sir Tristram).

Her sire Keeper (Danehill) is fourth on the 2010-11 NZ sires’ premiership behind Thorn Park, Pentire and Pins.  His chief earner this season is G1 Mudgway Stakes and Otaki Classic winner Keep The Peace.