Matamata trainer Ken Kelso rates seasoned gallopers I Do and Spin Doctor as the pair to beat in Saturday's Gr.3 Lisa Chittick Foxbridge Plate (1200m).
However he expects his duo Xanadu and Pussy O'Reilly to make their presence felt.
Kelso, who trains in partnership with his wife Bev, has produced Xanadu for placings in the Foxbridge Plate for the past two years and says the Elusive City mare goes into the $70,000 weight-for-age sprint in similar order for this year's rendition.
"She's as forward as what she was for this race for the last two years," he said.
"Hopefully the track isn't too bad. She copes with it a little bit wet but not too heavy. She's drawn out [barrier 19 before scratchings] but if the track is off that might not be a bad place to be. With her racing pattern, she's going to get back anyway, so it's not really a problem for her."
A dual Group One winner and six-times Group One-placed, Xanadu was third to Fleur de Lune and Fritzy Boy in 2012 and second to Postmans Daughter last year, both times on slow tracks. The track was rated slow on Thursday morning.
Pussy O'Reilly will have her first start since her fourth placing in the Gr. 1 Easter Handicap (1600m) at Ellerslie in April and like Xanadu she impressed in an exhibition gallop at Matamata last Friday.
"She didn't have long in the paddock. We kept her in after the Easter hoping to get a decent track," Kelso said.
"She was probably out for three weeks so she's come back in quite forward order. Her work has been very good. The inside draw might not be the best place to be but I'm very happy with her.
"I expect both mares to go cheeky races. There's improvement in them both too but I'd say I Do and Spin Doctor will be hard to beat. The wet track will play into the hands of those more seasoned horses."
The Gr. 1 $200,000 Makfi Challenge Stakes (1400m) at Hastings on August 30 will be the next goal for Xanadu and Pussy O'Reilly and they could yet be joined by stablemate Fix, who will trial at Taupo next Wednesday.
Meanwhile, another stable star, Bounding, will gallop between races at Te Rapa on Saturday. Group One stars Silent Achiever and Puccini are others pencilled in for an exhibition gallop.
