Gracie all guns ablaze heading into WA Oaks as she looks to provide Erkelens with second win in two years

Only two weeks ago, Machine Gun Gracie asserted her dominance over her three-year-old filly counterparts in the Natasha Stakes. This Saturday, she enters the Group 3 $300,000 Drummond Gold WA Oaks (2400m) as a raging $1.70 TABtouch favourite with her rivals up against it. Let slide past the post on the first occasion by Shaun O’Donnell, Machine Gun Gracie lobbed along in an idyllic rhythm out in front before being turned loose around the home bend and accelerating away. Handling her rivals with utter contempt, she roared up the Ascot straight with growing daylight between her and the rest, eventually landing the prize by three and a half lengths. Trainer Justine Erkeles knows how to win an Oaks, having prepared Own The Queen to salute in the race just 12 months ago. After opening a very short $1.55 elect, she has eased to her current quote and leads the market from $3.60 second favourite Twilight Tale. She was best of the rest in the Natasha, running home into second place after being held up early in the straight, but Machine Gun Gracie was showing no signs of stopping over the 2200m journey. Grant and Alana Williams are seeking their eighth win in the event since 2011, with both Funchal ($5) and Summer’s Legacy ($17) representing the stable. Funchal stayed out the trip strongly last time, continuing a long run around the outside into a Natasha third place, while Summer’s Legacy battled on into fifth. Noahquintilly ($21) fought on soundly to split the Williams pair after sitting behind Machine Gun Gracie in the run but was beaten for the favourite’s brilliant dash rounding the turn. Idodomya ($23) has been specked from $41 in and is coming out of a Pinjarra maiden win. Whilst a rise to Oaks company is a baptism of fire, she pounded rounding the home turn and looked useful when coming away to win on March 23. + Only five runners will face the starter for the Listed $125,000 Ascend Trophies Old Comrade Stakes (1600m) early in the day, with the Williams team lining up the two market principals Watch Me Rock ($2) and Fluro Neuro ($3.50). Barely a breath separated the two last start, with Fluro Neuro pinning Watch Me Rock in a tight pocket rounding the turn. While Fluro Neuro pounced on the early pacemakers, William Pike and Watch Me Rock faced an anxious wait until the 100m mark when a gap appeared underneath his stablemate. Watch Me Rock propelled himself up the inside, rocketing through to snatch the late in the dying strides for a taking head win over his compatriot. However, this time, there is a 1.5kg weight swing in the favour of Fluro Neuro as the pair rise to 1600m, a distance that both were victorious over the last time they saw it. Memory Parade ($4.60) sailed down the centre of the track to finish fourth behind them, less than a length from winning the race after rounding the bend in last place. Without Reg ($9) went across the line with him after being one position closer in running, while outsider Iowa ($11) will have his first start since the Perth Cup where he finished 11th. + Whilst Machine Gun Gracie is the $2.60 WATC Derby favourite and has her chance to firm up for that Classic in two weeks, Sail Session is right behind her in betting at $3.30. He’ll also have his opportunity to show his worth in the Listed $125,000 Schweppes Melvista Stakes (2200m) where he goes up against some of his fellow three-year-old boys as a hot $1.60 fancy. Despite racing three wide without cover in a stop-start J C Roberts Stakes a fortnight ago, the son of Sessions exploded into action on straightening, putting up a near three-length rout of his rivals. He rises 400m in trip from that outing and meets unknown territory but his dominance over the three-year-old ranks was hard to ignore. From almost last on the rail, Play Fair ($4.40) zoomed to the line to finish second for Neville Parnham and has already shown his affinity with staying trips, taking a 2200m Class 1 event on January 23. Following a slow start, Superfluous ($6) never recovered and finished seventh in the Roberts but was not disgraced, picking up some eye-catching late headway once the bird had flown. Please Mizter and Net Zero (both $16) come through that race, finishing fifth and ninth respectively and have work to do to bridge the gap on Sail Session. Sainty Cullity ($19) creates interest having his first run at a journey beyond a mile. He may have run just one placing from his four starts, but he’s shown plenty of potential and has not had races run to suit. First-up, he was caught wide at the back of the field in a race where few, if any, from behind got involved. He has attracted some support from $51 down to his current quote. + Brilliant mare Joliestar, who showed a magnificent turn of foot to settle the Newmarket Handicap at her most recent start, is the favourite for the Group 1 T J Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick. Held up for room down the Flemington straight, she electrified her rivals with a dazzling sprint to win the Group 1 feature on March 8 and is the $4 favourite to repeat this weekend. Briasa ($4.60) comes through The Galaxy at Rosehill two weeks ago, tasting just his second defeat from eight starts when fourth to Private Harry. Overpass ($6.50), who was announced earlier in the week to return to Ascot in an attempt at capturing his Quokka crown, is on the next line of betting and will be having his first start since the Winterbottom Stakes in late November. Jimmysstar ($9) should be better suited than his third place in the William Reid last time and did win the Oakleigh Plate prior, while Magic Time and Sunshine In Paris (both $9) come through third and fourth placings in the Canterbury Stakes respectively. One-time boom colt Switzerland ($16) will be partnered by one of the world’s best jockeys in Ryan Moore after running sixth in that race, while Headwall ($21) appears generously priced after following the move of Joliestar last time to be beaten only a length and a quarter. Wodeton ($2.75), runner-up in the Golden Slipper, is expected to prove hardest to beat in the Inglis Sires’ (1400m) with Moore also in the saddle on the Coolmore-owned runner. Linebacker ($6), who beat Broadsiding in the Randwick Guineas last time, leads Gringotts ($6.50) for the Doncaster Mile market. Tom Kitten ($7.50), Swiftfalcon ($8), Another Wil ($9.50) and Firestorm ($9.50), who cannoned to the line in the Coolmore Classic last time, round out those in single-digit odds. Aeliana ($3.10) and Willydoit ($3.60) are the only runners under double-digit prices in the Australian Derby (2400m).