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Racing

Oakbank – Saturday, 4th of April 2026

Best bets for Hills Railway Stakes Day at Oakbank on Saturday.

SA Best
SA Best Picture: RacingandSports

A good card has been assembled for Oakbank's feature race day, with plenty of open fields and competitive betting races - none more so than the Listed Hills Railway Stakes.

Early markets have Mic Drop narrowly on top at around the $4 mark, and it's easy to see why. Will Clarken's mare has risen through the grades sharply this campaign and was only run down late in the Manihi Classic by the even‑money favourite Celerity. She's one of the major pace influences here and should give another bold sight.

Great Maximus sits just behind her in betting and certainly has the engine, but he'll need a clever steer from Jake Toeroek after coming up with the car‑park draw.

On the third line is Prairie Flower, and that's where my lean lands. The six‑year‑old hasn't won for a while, but she's a quality mare with a sharp turn of foot when things fall her way. She's been finding trouble in her races yet still showing she's going well enough to give this a serious shake. Kept fresh with a trial in between runs and with Todd Pannell taking over, she gets the chance to turn her luck around.

TEST OF LOVE winning the Odds Surge Handicap at Sale in Australia.
TEST OF LOVE winning the Odds Surge Handicap at Sale in Australia. Picture: Racing Photos
 

For the best of the day, I'm with Test Of Love in The Vintage (1400m).

The Hayes‑trained five‑year‑old has returned in superb order this prep and was only run down late last start when chasing a hat‑trick at Sandown‑Hillside. He raced a touch keenly there yet still produced a second consecutive career peak, breaking the elusive 100 barrier by a pound on the Racing & Sports scale.

Drawn to advantage and one of the major pace influences, he gets in beautifully under the light weight with Rochelle Milnes aboard. If she can have him switch off early, he'll be mighty tough to reel in.

It's also worth noting the Hayes brothers continue to outperform the market in South Australia, notching up 18 wins from an expected 16. Their placement is purposeful, and when they send one across, it's rarely without intent. Last week's Listed Clare Lindop Stakes (1600m) win with promising filly Stung was another reminder of that.

Say from SA:

Best: R7 #8 TEST OF LOVE

Hills Railway Stakes: R8 #1 PRAIRIE FLOWER


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