Sent out for a spell after a couple of disappointing performances afterwards, High Fashion wasn't seen again until November.
She resumed with a solid fourth to the subsequently stakes-placed Surreal Storm, then produced a powerful late finish to take third in an Awapuni rating 85 on December 14.
That run hinted that High Fashion's best form isn't far away, and she should be just too good if she finds it tomorrow. But that's not to say that her rivals lack ability. At the top of the weights is underrated northerner Goldminer, the winner of eight races and more than $125,000 in stakes.
She's stepping back in grade from a couple of runs at listed level. Those performances - finishing seventh and eleventh - may appear disappointing on paper, but she was only three or four lengths from the winner and could have been more of a threat with some luck in the running. She's going to be a force to be reckoned with here, despite an impost of 59kg.
Savour The Moment is stepping back down from stakes level too, where his two starts this season netted him a stylish win and a close fifth. He's close to career-best form, and seems sure to be in the finish.
It would be no surprise to see one or both of the Lisa Latta pair, Galaxy Star and Surreal Storm, make their presence felt. Galaxy Star is inconsistent, but has shown the odd glimpse of huge potential.
And Surreal Storm is coming into this race on the back of a career-best performance to finish third behind I Do in the Group 3 Challenge Stakes at Awapuni.
Then there's Worthing, a seven-race winner who takes a power of beating when he brings his A game to the races.
He's trained by Gary Alton, who can't put a foot wrong at the moment - enjoying a Group 1 triumph with Historian at Ellerslie on Boxing Day, and following it up with a couple of wins in subsequent days.
The local hope in the race is Patrick Campbell's Shezgorgeous, who strung together a couple of top-notch performances in the early spring, particularly when she pummelled a strong field by six lengths on a premier day at Trentham. She's disappointed a little since, but a return to her home track could help her rediscover form.
There are plenty of other local hopes strewn throughout the programme. The Best Travel Maiden 3yo features Guy Lowry and Grant Cullen's Derby hope, Lamborghini, making his third race start after encouraging performances for a second and a fourth in his first two.
There's also Laced Up, the half-sister to champion galloper Jimmy Choux. Like her older sibling, she's trained by John Bary and carries the familiar red and blue silks of Chouxmaani Investments. She ran second on debut on this track - which seemed a solid enough debut performance, but has been made to look a whole lot better when the winner, Lord Turbo, added the Wanganui Guineas at his next start. Now Laced Up makes her eagerly anticipated second trip to the races.
All eyes will be on Ellerslie too, where a stellar programme is headed by the Group 1 Railway. One of the favourites for that time-honoured sprint is Bounding, who delivered a breathtaking performance to win the Gold Trail Stakes at the Hawke's Bay Spring Carnival.
Three-year-olds have a dismal Railway record - just two wins in the last 40 years - but she has the credentials to buck that trend tomorrow.
