All Stoked Up With Femminile

Girl power in Group 1 South Australian Derby again, and a first for owner, trainer, jockey

- Michael Lee

Femminile became the second filly in a row to claim the South Australian Derby at Morphettville (2,500m) on May 3.

Last year, it was second favourite Coco Sun who delivered the A$1 million (S$836,000) Group 1 event for trainers Tony and Calvin McEvoy's and jockey Jamie Melham's (then Kah) first success in the Adelaide classic.

Similarly, Femminile allowed both trainer Philip Stokes and jockey Lachlan Neindorf to enter their home Derby honour roll for the first time, except that the Dundeel three-year-old was a lot less fancied at $103 on the Singapore tote.

But from the halfway mark, she was travelling a lot more like a $10 favourite as she crept up along the rails for Lachlan Neindorf, taking all the shortcuts home.

She did not go around any runners as she went for broke upon straightening, collaring race-leader Goldrush Guru (Jason Holder) from underneath him before setting sail for home.