Noble Warrior, a winner at this meeting last year, is in race three, the R75 2180m, and Miss Marbella is in the feature, the $20,000 Miss Scenicland Stakes (1645m).
Shaw says Miss Marbella, who should start at double-figure odds in leg five of the $40,000 Pick6, is the pick of his four runners.
"She's the one I'll be backing myself," said Shaw, who also owns the 5-year-old mare by Don Eduardo.
"This is the race she's been set for and if she gets a bit of rain I think she's good enough. I really rate her chances."
Shaw says her recent form-line is misleading.
She jarred up badly on rock hard Gisborne tracks in November, yet was still just in behind the placegetters in handy R80 line-ups.
Next time out in a red-hot R75 field at Ellerslie, again on an unsuitably firm track, she lost two front plates and still finished five lengths from winner Goldminer.
In her final Hokitika lead-up at Pukekohe on December 14 she was badly interfered with shortly after the jump and took little interest after that.
The stakes-placed Miss Maximuss should be the toughest to beat, particularly if the track softens during the day.
She's been competitive in far stronger fields and impressed in winning her last start over 1800m at Kurow on December 30.
Shaw says Noble Warrior arrives at the only right-handed track in the South Island a much fitter horse than this time last year, when he ran third in the Kumara Nuggets.
Although he's yet to win on any surface better than dead, Shaw says punters shouldn't be deterred by a good reading at Hokitika today.
"He'll go pretty close on whatever the track is," said Shaw. "He worked extremely well the other morning.
"Even if the track is rated a good two, they're still getting into it.
"I pushed my thumb in there the other day and you get some movement - it's not like what we call a hard track up north."
Noble Warrior's rider Chris Johnson also partners stablemate George The Great in the opening event, the maiden 2180m.
Shaw said the hurdler should be much tougher to beat than in his West Coast debut in a 1810m maiden at Kumara on Monday.
"He needs the sting out of the ground as well, but he was just ridden a little bit awkwardly yesterday [Monday].
"When he had the option he should have kept going, but he elected to take a bit of a sit and a horse came around him and pushed him back on to the rail.
"Chris will go forward, and keep going; he's improved with his first race the other day."
Stablemate and former southerner Tommasi (race two) has also sharpened up since his Kumara blow-out on Monday, said Shaw.
The former Peter McKay-trained northerner Costello is the intriguing runner in that event. He steps up in distance from a last-start fifth over 1400m at Taupo but has more ability than most of these and could sneak a winning break on the turning track.
Shaw is also in charge of Shaun Clotworthy's four-strong Byerley Park team on the circuit and rates the trainer's 4-year-old mare Miss Biennale as the one to beat in race one.
He said she showed little interest at Kumara until the last 100m when she flew home late for fifth.
The extra 300m on a right-hand track looks ideal.
