All roads are leading to Wingatui for what is promising to be an exciting running for next month's 3yr-old fillies classic.
Star galloper Excelleration is forgoing an attempt at a Guineas triple crown to instead target the listed $50,000 feature over 1400m.
The horse will miss Saturday's Invercargill Guineas and instead be set for the Wingatui race.
Excelleration's trip south to relocate to Shane Kennedy and Anna Furlong's stable and the travel involved in her Gore and Dunedin Guineas runs meant she deserved a freshen up, Furlong said.
The move has left Saturday's Invercargill Guineas at Start Wondering's mercy.
The Shaune Richie-trained filly was no match for Excelleration in the Dunedin Guineas but comprehensively beat the rest of their rivals.
Global Thinking will not have to contend with Gore Guineas placegetter Pipiana on Saturday, either.
The Michael and Matthew Pitman-trained filly will also head to Wingatui next month and her progress towards that race starts at Riccarton today.
Pipiana's rivals do not boast the quality of her listed placing in their formlines, but there are some handy types in race 3.
They include impressive debut winner Guvnor and Acekingsuited, who showed promise when campaigned in the early spring.
The Pitman stable lines up four more runners on today's programme and Michael Pitman rates Aquazurra in race 4 as the leading winning chance among them.
''Aquazurra should go pretty close.''
Chris Johnson will ride the 3yr-old, who ran fifth behind Guvnor in her last start at Riccarton last month.
''She did not get all the favours in her last start. She was down on the inside and the track was definitely off on the inside, and she has got a good draw and a good jockey on.''
Johnson also rides Coup Dreamwood, who will wear blinkers for the first time in race 6.
The horse has yet to fire in three starts so far and ran seventh at Wingatui in his last run.
''We are looking for improvement. He did not get all favours at Dunedin; he ran up behind them twice.''
The Pitman stable has its apprentice BB Hong riding both Queen Serene in race 5 and Saronic Miss in race 9.
Michael Pitman describes the South Korean-born 34-year-old as a polite and hardworking jockey who has the talent to win more races in the saddle.
Hong has won four races in New Zealand, all of them this season.
