"We're thrilled to have two runners in the Oaks. We've won it before with Legs and were unlucky not to win it with Daffodil when her gate was slow to open. But we might not have gone to Sydney and won the Australian Oaks had that not happened, so you'd have to say it's been a pretty good race to us."
Savabeel filly Date Night ran an eye-catching fourth placing in the Sunline Vase at Trentham in her Oaks lead-up, while Fashionably, by Redoute's Choice out of Queensland Oaks winner Scarlett Lady, hit the line strongly for fifth in the Lowland Stakes at Hastings two days earlier.
"The Oaks is a very strong field, but you never know who is going to run out 2400m," Chittick said.
"I've always had a high opinion of Nicoletta and Bonneval is the form filly of the race, but Debbie is very bullish with Date Night and has been all the way through.
"With Fashionably, we're really hoping the pedigree comes through. She went a good race at Hastings."
O'Reilly filly Babe earned her Wellington Guineas start with a meritorious last-start win at Matamata.
- NZ Racing Desk
