The darling of South Australia, Mallee Beauty, has been selected to take her place in the world’s richest race on December 13.

Set to represent Tabcorp in The Phoenix, the recent Group 1 Adelaide Cup winner has won an astonishing 19 of her last 23 starts dating back to April this year and was considered a hot commodity for prospective slot holders.

‘Miranda’ as she is known at home, has had two previous starts at The Meadows for a victory and a 3rd placing in the G1 Topgun (as the short priced favourite).

Adding to the intrigue of her selection in the race is her penchant for middle-to-wide draws – from boxes 4 to 8, Mallee Beauty has an impressive record of 23 starts for 21 wins & a placing , while her record from boxes 1-3 sits at 16 starts for 7 wins and 4 placings.

Tabcorp – who have had box 1 in their last two attempts at The Phoenix with She’s A Pearl (2022) & Pass The Buck (2023) – along with connections may have a difficult decision to make if ‘picking their box’ early on in the box draw on Sunday December 7.

Would they have the fortitude to bypass the coveted Box 1 and head straight towards a wide alley?

Either way, The Phoenix is heating up and Mallee Beauty will be one of the favoured runners hunting that $1 million dollar first prize.

The state of play (as of 28 November):

Metro Jetting: Cumbria Jack
RAM Racing: Eriza Sparkles
Sportsbet: Accredited
Tabcorp: Mallee Beauty
Awesome Lodge: TBC
David Bourke Constructions: TBC
Sporting Legends: Slick Splits
Total Container Solutions: TBC