Emerging staying filly Colette is the new favourite for the 2020 Australian Oaks following her dominant win in the  Group 3 $200,000 Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m) on Day One of The Championships at Randwick today.

Colette, above, is the new favourite for the 2020 Australian Oaks after winning the Adrian Knox Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.

Bookies at Ladbrokes.com.au were quick to react to Colette’s two and three quarter lengths victory against the other fillies and wound her in to be the $3.20 favourite for the Group 1 $500,000 Australian Oaks (2400m) at Randwick on Day Two of The Championships next Saturday after $7 was offer this morning.

Trainer James Cummings is looking forward to backing her up next week providing she comes through today’s win in good order.

“She might just set up nicely and be an interesting addition to the Oaks next week if we’re very, very pleased with the way she is the next seven days,” Cummings said.

“Three wins in a row can make it seem like (rapid progress) but that was quite a few weeks ago now and the team have done a great job with her to just treat her carefully.

“We treated her with kid gloves coming into it with a long range plan to target an Adrian Knox, which can suit a filly on the way through like her.

“The gap between runs for her last couple has been important and she’s enjoyed that, but now she’s at the serious end and she was two weeks between runs today and potentially a week back-up next week but she looks like she’s got the constitution to handle it.”

Jockey of the moment James McDonald settled Colette in the middle of the sixteen horse Adrian Knox field and the filly looked to be locked away as the large field went over the rise.

McDonald waited for the gaps to open up and Colette hit top gear once into the clear and the $3 favourite powered home to record a hat trick of wins.

The Chris Waller trained Toffee Tongue ($9.50) ran on strongly from the back to claim the second prize ahead of Mark Newnham’s Quintessa ($21).