Ambience Makes It Three Classic Placings

It may not have been marked down as a victory, but the performance of Ambience to register her third classic placing for the season when second in the G1 Queensland Oaks at Eagle Farm on Saturday, June 11 was difficult to regard as a defeat.

Ambience (John O'Shea/James McDonald) produced a typically brave effort to chase home the New Zealand filly Provocative at Eagle Farm, a third stakes placing on the card for Godolphin.

The latest Oaks placing came eight months after Ambience finished third in the G1 VRC Oaks at Flemington. She also finished second in the G1 ATC Oaks at Randwick in April.

Adding to the merit of this latest run is the fact that she started from the outside barrier in the 18-runner field and had to give a start to almost every other filly.

"She's a lovely filly, she always gives her best in these sort of races. Who knows what she could have done with a bit more luck," said James McDonald who has ridden her in all three Oaks.

"I'm very proud of her, she is so honest and so genuine."

McDonald had little choice but to drop Ambience out from the jump and the pair had only three behind them at the 400m where they began a run that for a few moments seemed likely to earn a deserved victory.

But in the final 200m the lightly-raced Provocative proved too strong, coming away to win clearly as Ambience held off Falkenberg.

Ambience has been yet another credit to her sire Street Cry, the ill-fated shuttle stallion who proved himself one of the greatest dual-hemisphere progenitors.

The Oaks also offered a tribute to another great stallion, Zabeel, a G1 winner in Australia for His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum.

Provocative became the 45th individual G1 winner for Zabeel who died late last year at the age of 29.

On the same Eagle Farm card, Godolphin's Australian stable had the G2 QTC Cup runner-up Federal and Nonpareil who finished third in the Listed Lancaster Stakes.