The weight-for-age conditions of the Breeders' Stakes could not more brilliantly suit I Do - there is just a half a kilo spread in the weights.
I Do sits on a rating of 108, fully 10 points higher than the next on the list, Pussy O'Reilly. In a handicap, I Do would be giving away 5kg to 7kg to most of these runners.
Allan Sharrock has a remarkable record in setting his best horses for feature races and I Do's group one first and second on the opening two days of the Hastings Spring Carnival showed what she is capable of.
A repeat of either of those performances would be good enough to get I Do over the line first tomorrow against her own sex.
With regular rider Opie Bosson on the sideline from last week, I Do will be ridden by Jonathan Riddell, who knows the mare well.
She looks to have drawn perfectly at No 5 and there will be plenty prepared to take the short odds the TAB is guaranteed to post about the grey mare's chances.
Moozoon and Costa Viva, rated 85 and 82, are badly off under these conditions, receiving only .5kg off I Do, but are likely threats.
Although neither has earned the prestige to rate further up, both are high-class mares. Costa Viva won last season's 1000 Guineas and Moozoon burst on to the scene at the beginning of last summer with a line of form that had her in contention for the best fillies' races.
Moozoon looked good making a recent winning return to racing at Ruakaka and Costa Viva has not run since her luckless trip to the Queensland Winter Carnival where bad barriers cost her dearly. Her barrier trial resulted in her finishing second to Bounding in a swiftly-run 950m heat, good form for this race.
Pussy O'Reilly has to be considered. She once again showed how under-rated she is by being narrowly beaten by I Do on the first day at Hastings then finishing 3.5 lengths from Pure Champion on the middle day after doing work from an outside barrier.
Meanwhile across the Ditch, remedial dental work has the smile back on the faces of Our Vespa's connections in Melbourne.
The Kiwi colt was bothered earlier in the week by a tooth problem, which has been corrected and the Caulfield Guineas (1600m) hope showed he was a happy horse with a strong work-out at Flemington yesterday.
"He had trouble with one of his teeth and cracked the cap," trainer Johno Benner said.
"He had a good gallop with a mate on the inside grass over 800m and he was nice and sharp.
"He worked in blinkers and he'll race in them for the first time on Saturday. They will sharpen him up and give him confidence - he's had a couple of knocks and he's not that keen in the middle of horses and never has been."
Our Vespa will jump from the outside gate in the Guineas and Benner will rely on the skill of proven big race rider Craig Williams to give the horse every opportunity.
"I'd hate him to get stuck too deep and ideally he can get midfield, or just worse, and be one off or even three wide with cover," Benner said.
Our Vespa's future programme will be clearer after Saturday with the possibility of another Australian start.
A satisfactory trial at Waipa next week will clear Puccini for take-off.
A pass mark for the New Zealand Derby winner will confirm a flight to Australia the following Saturday.
"He seems fine to me now and, as long as the track is okay, we'll take him to the trials and ride him in behind a few and get him to relax," co-trainer Peter McKay said.
Puccini has undergone a series of tests since his well-documented failure in last Saturday's Livamol Spring Classic
Punting pointers
Best: Chambord (R7, Matamata). Just touched off by a top effort from Atacama last start and looked fractionally stiff.
Each-way: Radar (R6, Matamata). Beaten by a claim last start. Drops a grade and should be right in it.
Value: Silk Chardonnay (R9, Matamata). Faded after leading last start, but better than that. Has good record on home track.
