The Richmond club hold two major feature events every year, the Richmond Derby and Richmond Oaks, and both events have long and illustrious honour rolls.

Just like the Derby, the Richmond Oaks was first run in 1957 up the straight 320 yards and it then changed to a grass circle over 537 metres in 1974, before also switching to 535 metres when the loam track was constructed in 1999.

Among some of the past winners of the Oaks are: Zoom Top (1968), Gwendalyn Bale (1982), Winifred Bale (1983), Brave Gambler (1985), Amy’s Doll (1992), Blue Sky Riot (2018) and Dam Slippery (2019).

In 2020, in front of one of the largest crowds in recent memory at the Londonderry track brothers Hank and Leo Vanderburg went head-to-head from boxes eight and one in the Oaks Final, Hank with the favourite, Wild Flyer, Leo with Sniffy, and it was Leo claiming the most memorable of wins.

After a failed trip to Melbourne for the Australian Cup heats, the Rob Tyler-trained Crazy Cool returned to NSW and tackled the Richmond Oaks.

Due to the condition she returned home in, Tyler wasn't able to do much with the bitch in the lead-up to the heats, and again before the final, but that didn't bother Crazy Cool who led throughout to give Tyler a 'home' Group win.

She had been one of the dominant bitches in the State if not the country for many months and Good Odds Cash was rewarded with another Group victory, taking out the Richmond Oaks.

After leading throughout and breaking the track record with a 29.31s performance in the heats, there was some query as to whether she would get across from box 7 in the final.

But the Frank Hurst-trained speedster rocketed out and gave her rivals no chance, again lowering the track record with a 29.24s victory.

Second went to Jason Mackay's Fantastic Raven with the Mark Gatt-trained Ritza Donna in third.

Yuko Girl finally got her maiden Group win in the 2023 edition of the race, with the Sam Sultana-trained bitch winning the Oaks on her home track in a time of 29.57.

It was a case of so close but so far for Yuko Girl until her breakthrough Oaks performance, with the classy chaser running in eight other Group finals (three placings) before finally saluting at Richmond.

Jumping from Box 4, she managed to jump straight to the front and from there the only question on everyone's lips was "can she hold on?".

She was strong to the line though, fending off Group 1 Futurity winner Wyndra All Class in the process to record a comfortable 2.5 length victory.

In 2024, Shanghai Suzie etched her name alongside some of the best the sport has seen after claiming the Oaks title. The pre-race favourite giving Wollongong trainer Greg Remfry the first feature triumph of his fledgling training career.

“I used to give my dogs to Ruth King but this one, I sort of thought “she’s taking a bit of time” and we fell in love her and we ended up keeping her and she ended up coming good,” an emotional Remfry said post-race.

“She’s just so good at home, my wife always says if she had wings, she’d be a proper angel…when I won my maiden, that was massive for me, but to win this, it’s out of this world.”

The daughter of Fernando Bale x Mumza Pearl was heavily supported in betting ahead of the famous Group 2 feature, and although she was outjumped by National Futurity runner-up Hurricane Reign, she soon dashed up alongside her younger rival.

By the time they reached the first turn, Shanghai Suzie carved over to the fence and set up a race winning break.

The final time of 29.76 may have been two lengths outside her heat time seven days ago, but the final margin of 2.25 lengths was all that really mattered in the end.

Akii Princess finished second for George Bord while the Susan Smith-trained My Hepburn ran third.