Wide gate no barrier for promising Akaysha in the 2025 Woodlands Stakes

Scone native Peter Snowden is once again gearing up for his hometown carnival, preparing a quality line-up of six runners for the prestigious two-day racing event.

Leading his juvenile charge are Akaysha and Miss Freelove, who are both entered in the Listed Woodlands Stakes (1100m) and sit closely behind favourite Stardom in early markets.

Akaysha created a strong impression when defeating Beadman on debut. That form received a major boost last weekend when Beadman scorched the field with an eight-length win in the Group 3 Ken Russell Memorial (1200m).

She then returned with a narrow defeat at Randwick, just missing out to Grand Eagle in a tight finish.

“Talk about good form,” Snowden said.

“She beat Beadman and only got beaten narrowly last start right on the line so it’s great form going into this race.”

Akaysha has drawn the outside gate, but Snowden remains confident due to Scone’s long run to the first turn.

“One thing about the 1100 metre start there is it’s a really long run to the first corner so barriers aren’t quite so important as against a track that is really tight and turning,” Snowden said.

“I’m not too worried about where she is drawn.”

Miss Freelove broke her maiden with an all-the-way performance at Canterbury, backing up a solid debut effort at Warwick Farm and is said to be thriving in her work since.

Snowden sees them as evenly matched and is optimistic that one can add their name to a list of standout past winners including Libertini, In Secret, and Lazzura.

“She ran a good race first-up at Warwick Farm and won easily at Canterbury her next start so she is going up there in good form as well,” he said.

“Luck in running will determine the difference, there’s not much between them. Hopefully one of them is good enough to get up.”

Rounding out Snowden’s team are Ka Bling in the Luskin Star Stakes (1300m), Fire Star in the Ortensia Stakes (1100m), and Wave Breaker in the Denise’s Joy Stakes (1100m).

Wave Breaker is particularly close to home, being part-owned by Scone locals Annette English and Daniel Morgan, adding sentimental value to her campaign.

“They come from Scone so they are really keen to see her run well. Hopefully she can for them,” Snowden said.

“She is going great. It was a great run first-up against older horses and I gave her a trial the other day to keep her up to the mark. It was a good trial. She is going up there in really good order.”

For those eyeing a bet on the Woodlands Stakes or Snowden’s other runners at Scone, make sure to check the top Australian betting sites for updated markets and promotions.