Trainer Emma-Lee Browne confident Statuario can reverse result on Femminile in Queensland Derby rematch

Trainer Emma-Lee Browne would love to see Pakenham horses Femminile and Statuario repeat their SA Derby quinella in the Queensland Derby but with a different result.

Femminile (right) holding off Statuario in the South Australian Derby at Morphettville earlier this month. Picture: Makoto Kaneko

They’re the Pakenham pair ready to pack a powerful punch in Saturday’s Group 1 Queensland Derby at Eagle Farm.

Victorian horses Statuario and Femminile delivered a thriller in this month’s South Australian Derby, with the Phillip Stokes-trained filly Femminile holding on to win the major at $19 odds.

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Statuario’s co-trainer Emma-Lee Browne is hoping they can again jag the quinella on Saturday, although this time she wants her grey gelding to take the chocolates.

Blake Shinn, the Doomben Cup winner on Queensland hero Antino, will jump aboard Femminile while John Allen will ride Statuario, the $6 early favourite for the 2400m race ahead of King Of Thunder ($7), Party Crasher ($8) and Femminile ($9.50).

Browne, who trains in partnership with husband David, said Statuario had travelled “super” to the Gold Coast and would be primed to turn the tables on Femminile in the Queensland Derby.

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“You don’t know how they’re going to cope with the travel until they’ve had that race-day pressure but he hasn’t missed a feed and his weight is super,” she said while enjoying an outing with her family at Gold Coast tourist attraction Dreamworld.

Statuario was the warm favourite for the SA Derby but got caught behind horses on the inside of the track before eventually finding space and motoring home to finish just three-quarters of a length behind Femminile.

Emma-Lee Browne says the rivalry among the Pakenham trainers is friendly. Picture: Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images

They’re a tight-knit racing community at Pakenham and the rivalry between stables is definitely more friendly than fierce.

Stokes, who grew up at a cattle station near Marree in northern South Australia, even helped arrange the transport to Queensland for both his horses and Statuario.

“You’ve got to have everything go right in a Group 1 and you’ve got to have a bit of luck on your side,” Browne said about the $1m SA Derby (2500m) at Morphettville on May 3.

“But at least it was a Pakenham victory – we’ve taken that, with Phillip Stokes being from both places.

“We’re incredibly lucky down at Pakenham, it’s a fantastic group and we all support each other. It makes a difference – it’s a good atmosphere.

“Phillip pretty much organised my trip up here so that’s been incredibly helpful.

“We’re hoping we can quinella the Queensland Derby too but we still want to turn the tables this time.”

Browne said the four-week gap between races was ideal for Statuario and she was encouraged by the path of the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr-trained Warmonger, who finished runner-up in last year’s SA Derby before winning the Queensland edition.

“The way he (Statuario) travelled home from Adelaide and the way he bounced around the track made us think ‘OK let’s see how he pushes on’,” she said.

“It was good to have the four weeks between races because you could really see how he was doing.

“We’re very happy with the horse, he’s had a super prep. It’d be a cherry on top if he goes well this Saturday.”

Originally published as Trainer Emma-Lee Browne confident Statuario can reverse result on Femminile in Queensland Derby rematch