Any breeder would love to walk out to the paddock in the morning and see the field assembled for Saturday's Group II Irresistible Pools Sheraco Stakes. Significantly none of the 13 acceptors would have made the page of top-priced yearlings.
Robert Heathcote's homebred Star Turn mare Startantes heads the weights courtesy of her Group 1 penalty.
You can make a case for the Pride Of Dubai's near $2 million earner Bella Nipotina being among the most underrated mares in the nation as she lines up for her 24th black-type appearance.
The Star Thoroughbred colour-bearer Espiona looked a world-beater when trotting up by six and a half lengths at Flemington on Victoria Oaks Day last November. The daughter of Extreme Choice has been competitive at the top level and proved she is in form with a four-and-a-half lengths romp in the James HB Carr Stakes at Randwick in April.
Espiona is likely to fight out favouritism with the Gillard family's Rubick mare Shades Of Rose who will be making her stakes debut. Shades Of Rose could quite easily be eight for eight. After three consecutive wins, she put on a buckjumping exhibition after her saddle slipped when favourite over 1100m at Rosehill in July. She was caught wide the trip when edged out by The Big Easy at Rosehill, but in her three subsequent starts at Rosehill, nothing has got within three lengths of her.
The Scone-trained It's Me has a massive fan club in the bush. After a tendon injury caused the daughter of Shamus Award to make a belated debut at the age of four, she proceeded to reel off four consecutive wins culminating in the $1.3 million The Kosciuszko in October 2020.
The tragedy struck again with another tendon injury.
The Brett Cavanough-trained mare was on the sidelines for the entirety of 2021. She met defeat for the first time in February this year when sixth in the Group II Triscay Stakes, won by the high-class Snapdancer.
Not beaten far when eighth in the Listed ATA/Bob Hoysted Handicap (1000m) down the Flemington straight on March 5, It's Me earned a further two months break.
She was never a factor when last of 12 in the Group II Victory Stakes at Eagle Farm on April 30 but bounced back to enter the winner's stall for the first time in just shy of two years in a class 6 over 1000m at Eagle Farm on August 27.
Could it be an omen that the horse she beat, Red Rubi, is a sister to Shades Of Rose?
At the age of six, It's Me has started just eight times with five wins and $866,600
Bred by John Carter, It's Me was a $65,000 purchase for Grand Syndicates from the Kitchwin Hills draft at the 2018 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
A half-sister to Listed winner Yourein (Reset) and stakes-placed Off The Rails (Snitzel), It's Me is the ninth foal of the talented Celtic Swing mare It's You.
A half-sister to the Listed MRC Heatherlie Handicap winner Honest Politician (Distorted Humor) and stakes-placed Off The Rails (Snitzel), It's You won little more than a Ballarat maiden for Archie Alexander. But she finished second to Tarcoola Diamond in the Listed Great Western Stakes at Flemington in the race proceeding Media Puzzle's memorable Melbourne Cup.
Now pensioned, It's You is a descendant of Schiaparelli's Classic winning daughter Herringbone.
A half-sister to the successful stallion Masthead (GB) (the sire of Matrice and VRC Oaks heroine Amarco, the dam of the champion Tobin Bronze), Herringbone became an influential mare in her own right.
The winner of the One Thousand Guineas at Newmarket and St Leger Stakes, Herringbone is the dam of Princess of Wales's Stakes winner Dogger Bank (also a successful sire in Australia), Nassau Stakes winner Dilettante, and Doncaster Cup winner Entente Cordiale.
Like Incentivise, It's Me comes from the second crop of Rosemont Stud's Cox Plate hero Shamus Award.
After his fee fell to $11,000 in 2018 and 2019, the son of Snitzel sports a new and improved fee of $88,000 this spring after covering 216 mares last season at $33,000.
