Tonight's group 1 New Zealand Oaks at Addington has all of the hallmarks of last month's New Zealand Derby.
And that is a good thing, considering the derby saw an epic clash of 3yr-olds when Sheriff prevailed in a thrilling finish.
What makes the two group 1 2600m classics so alike is that their favoured runners have been handed tricky draws.
The country's leading filly, Elle Mac, will start from four on the back row and boom Australian import Shez All Rock will start four positions wider than her in tonight's Oaks.
Bad draws did not spell the end of any horse's chances in the New Zealand Derby and tonight's race shapes similarly.
Mark Purdon is certainly not ruling out the chances of Elle Mac and Shez All Rock, whom he lines up with training partner Natalie Rasmussen, on the basis of their draws.
``Even though some of ours have drawn bad over 2600m, you have a better chance of overcoming that with the ability,'' he said on his stable's website.
Shez All Rock arrived in New Zealand recently after winning the New South Wales and Victorian Oaks.
Although she has the class to complete that rare feat, Purdon is not expecting the filly to easily continue her winning form across the Tasman.
``She hasn't had a lot of time to acclimatise to her surroundings and that is the worry for me,'' he said.
``We train a wee bit differently from how she is trained at home and she might need more than a week or so to adjust to that.''
``But she is a top filly, as we know, and you can never count out ability.''
Elle Mac comes into tonight's race seeking her own Oaks double after winning the Northern Oaks in March.
She fired a massive warning shot for her rivals when she comprehensively beat most of them last week in their fillies' series final.
Driver Rasmussen thinks Elle Mac could be in even better shape this week.
``She has got even better and I rate her very hard to beat,'' she said. ``She is on top of her game.
``The draw might not work out the worst because I would be going forward early enough from anywhere in this field.
``There are some fillies in it not quite up to the job and I hate to be unlucky.''
Should Purdon and Rasmussen's two big names run into trouble, they have a handy backup in Delight In Me, who has the advantage of barrier 1.
The chances of taking down the Purdon-Rasmussen raid on tonight's feature largely rest with Bettor Joy and Dibaba.
Artstanding, a half brother to champion pacer Lazarus, will have his first start at Gore tomorrow.
The Art Major colt takes on an inexperienced line-up of 2yr-olds in race 1.
By the same stage of his 2yr-old career, Lazarus was preparing for the Harness Jewels, having won four races.
Artstanding has not made a Lazarus-like impact in three trials and workouts leading into his debut.
The pacer placed in a trial and workout before finishing sixth in his latest outing. In that workout, he went to the line untested on the back of another horse, on solid closing sectionals.
Westwood Beach pacer Motu Top Mach looks to be Artstanding's toughest rivaltomorrow. He has been extensively schooled with seven trials and workouts leading into his first start.
A quartet of horses are aiming for a hat-trick of wins in tomorrow's feature trot and feature pace.
Trotters Rydgemont Milly and Pres The Belle will shoot for three consecutive wins in race 7.
Pacers Smooth Mara and Especial both have the back mark of 20m in their quest for three wins in a row in race 9.
