Mcdonald offered ride on Poste Restante in Queensland Oaks

James Mcdonald has been offered the Queensland Oaks ride on Otaki filly Poste Restante.

Poste Restante recorded a good Oaks trial when a close third, beaten a half head and a short head, in the Gr III Rough Habit Plate (2020m) at Doomben on Saturday.

Chris Munce had the ride on Saturday but is committed to Cambridge filly Artistic for the Oaks.

“I tried to twist his [Munce’s] arm but he has to stay with Artistic and that’s fair enough – she’s in great form,” said Poste Restante’s trainer, Howie Mathews.

“I’m hoping James will pick our filly. But if he doesn’t, there are plenty of other riders. My phone has been red-hot. It was pretty exciting stuff [on Saturday].”

Mcdonald gained his first Australian Gr I win in last year’s Queensland Oaks on Hamilton filly Scarlett Lady.

Poste Restante, who settled midfield on the inner, was having her first race for six weeks in the Rough Habit and will not race again till the Oaks, on June 2.

The Postponed filly also had a gap of three weeks before finishing fourth in the New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham on March 31.

“She doesn’t need a lot [of racing],” Mathews said.

However, if Poste Restante performs well in the A$400,000 Oaks, there is a chance she will back up in the A$ 500,000 Queensland Derby (2400m) a week later.

In addition, Mathews believes Eagle Farm, the venue for the Oaks and Derby, will suit his filly better than the tighter Doomben track. New Zealand TAB, with Scorpio Queen at $ 5, Angel Of Mercy at $ 5.50 and the Kiwi pair of Quintessential and Poste Restante at $7.50.

Artistic, who races in Australia as Miss Artistic, will run in Saturday’s Gr III Doomben Roses (2020m) in Brisbane.

The Rough Habit proved to be a mixed bag for Kiwi horses, with stablemates Nashville and Urunga found to have been affected by a virus when unplaced.

Urunga finished eighth, with Nashville, who had been one of the favourites, 13th. “They both seem to have picked up something,” trainer Adrian Bull said.

“They were coughing after the race and had quite of bit of discharge from the nostrils. They are on antibiotics and we will see what happens over the next few days. It’s a matter of seeing whether running them with a virus has done any damage.”

The setback has also put plans for Nashville to contest the Queensland Derby in doubt. “There is a nice Listed three-year-old race over a mile on the same day and we might have to freshen him up and look at that,” Bull said.

Nashville also had trouble with the tight Doomben circuit on Saturday.

“In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the right track for his first go right-handed,” his trainer said.