Cilacap using Easter Cup as final run before $1m Australasian Oaks

Grahame Begg won’t be taking the traditional path to the Group 1 Australasian Oaks with Cilacap, who will have a key lead-up run at Caulfield on Saturday.

Tyler Maund

2 min read

April 2, 2025 - 12:00PM

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This is how we race - Dederang Picnic Races | Punters + Racing Victoria

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Group 1-winning trainer Grahame Begg is priming gun filly Cilacap for this month’s $1m Australasian Oaks at Morphettville, but he’s doing it a little differently.

The Cranbourne handler will bypass next week’s Group 3 Auraria Stakes (1800m) in Adelaide, a traditional lead-up to the Group 1 Oaks, instead preparing Cilacap for Saturday’s Group 3 Easter Cup (2000m) at Caulfield.

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The three-year-old daughter of Written Tycoon takes on the older horses in Saturday’s Easter Cup, but will benefit from a test run at the Oaks journey of 2000m.

“I just felt that the travel, going to Adelaide twice, it probably wasn’t the right thing to do,” Begg, a 15-time Group 1 winner, said.

“It was going to be a long time if we went over for the Auraria, and stayed over there, she was going to be away for three weeks to a month.

“It’s easier for her to run here and run over the trip, and then go over probably four days before.”

Cilacap relishes the strong pace set by Too Darn Lizzie, charging on by to reign supreme in the Alexandra Stakes ðŸ‘@JChilds47 @Grahame_Begg pic.twitter.com/i9NIRXg2Vi
— Racing.com (@Racing) March 22, 2025

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Cilacap was an impressive winner last start in the Group 3 Alexandra Stakes over a mile, and will face her first test over further ground on Saturday.

Too Darn Lizzie, who was runner-up to Cilacap in the Alexandra Stakes for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, will also tackle the Oaks on April 26.

“You’ve got to try them (over the distance) sooner or later, but she’s very fit and she’s well,” Begg said.

“She came through the race very well, she galloped strong Tuesday, at this stage we’ll run Saturday.”

Cilacap won’t be a lone hand for Begg in Adelaide this autumn, the trainer is aiming stablemates Zloties and Nonconformist at races over the three-week carnival which begins on Oaks Day.

Zloties, a promising four-year-old mare, is being set for the Bendigo Gold Bracelet (1400m) before a possible run in the Group 2 Queen Of The South Stakes (1600m) on Oaks Day, while Nonconformist may head to Adelaide for Group 3 The Cummings Stakes (1600m) on May 10.

Originally published as Cilacap using Easter Cup as final run before $1m Australasian Oaks