Fillies chasing a historic third Derby for the season.
Femminile has already defeated the boys in a Derby this season and she will be chasing a slice of history in this Saturday's Queensland Derby at EagleFarm.
The Phillip Stokes-trained daughter of Dundeel, a last-start winner of the Group 1 South Australian Derby, has a chance to become the first filly since the northern Derbys took up a place in the second half of the season to become a multiple Group 1 Derby winner.
She gave the girls a second-straight Derby success, following Aeliana's ATC Australian Derby romp at Randwick.
The only colt to win a Group 1 Derby this season is Goldrush Guru, who won the Victoria Derby at Flemington last November.
It is shades of 1999 and 2008, which are the only years since 1979 that fillies have won three Derbys.
In 1999, Showella won the SA Derby, Camarena the Queensland Derby and Voile D'or the WA Derby, which was a Group 1 race until 2011.
Grand Journey won the WA Derby in 2008, the year Riva San won in Brisbane and Zarita in Adelaide.
Femminile is one of three fillies in this Saturday's 2400-metre event, joined by Aeliana's stablemate Belle Detelle and Lindsay Park's Chase Your Dreams.
They are out to join Riva San and Dariana as the only fillies on the honour roll this century.
Autumn Angel was $2.35 favourite to win last year but could manage only eighth with the only other filly in last year's event, Moonlight Magic, finishing runner-up to Warmonger.
Forty-four fillies have run in the Queensland Derby since 2000 with Moonlight Magic one of five to finish second, while there have been a further seven third placegetters.
Belle Detelle has had good support during the week and is $7 second favourite with Femminile sharing the third line of betting at $8 and Chase Your Dreams a $21 chance.
Favourite, at $5, is Statuario who was runner-up to Femminile at Morphettville on May 3.
The Queensland Derby has not been a race prone to a blowout with Princess Grace, who won the 1987 edition at 20/1, the most recent winner at longer than $13.
Warmonger, who started $10, one of just five winners at double-figure odds in the last 30 years, with 20 of the other 24 winners – the race was not run in 2020 – starting $6 or shorter.
