This Saturday's Group 1 Surround Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick is shaping to be one of the highlights of the autumn as Espiona and Fangirl line up in a highly anticipated rematch.
A total of 41 three-year-old fillies have been nominated for the AU$500,000 feature, which boasts an impressive list of winners such as Gold Edition, More Joyous, First Seal and Probabeel.
Run a fortnight after the Light Fingers Stakes (1200m), racing fans are set for yet another thrilling contest between a number of superstar fillies.
Headlining the field is Chris Waller's pair Espiona (+100) and Fangirl (+250), after they finished second and first respectively in the Light Fingers at their most recent starts.
Waller also has Hinged (+1600), Finepoint (+6600), She's All Class (+3300) and the promising Roots (+1200) nominated for the race, leaving the leading trainer with the highest amount of nominations for the Group 1 event.
James Cummings goes into the race with a potential three-pronged attack comprising Arcaded (+6600), Heresy (+5000) and Larkspur Run (+3300), while his brother Edward Cummings is planning on starting two fillies in the race – Have Mercy (+30000) and I'm Divine (+15000).
Presenting as the main danger to Espiona and Fangirl is the Light Fingers third-placegetter, Jamaea (+800), who should relish getting out to 1400m.
Three fillies sit on $17 with Bovada, including Group 1 Flight Stakes winner Never Been Kissed from the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott yard.
Joining Never Been Kissed from that stable are Shihonka (+3300) and Tilianam (+15000).
Queensland filly Startantes (+1600) has earnt plenty of market respect after an eye-catching effort in the Light Fingers last time out, while fourth-placegetter Zouzarella shares the same line of betting.
Thousand Guineas winner Yearning (+3300) is the sole runner from the Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes stable in what will be her first outing since the spring.
Two undefeated fillies will look to keep their records intact; the Anthony & Sam Freedman-trained Snapped (+3300) has won her two races in Victoria, while Bjorn Baker's Shades Of Rose (+15000) was an ultra-impressive 7.65-length winner at Bathurst on February 7, smashing the 1100m track record at just her second career start.
The Surround Stakes is one of two Group 1 races to be contested at Randwick on Saturday, with the other being the Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m), where Think It Over, Verry Elleegant and Top Ranked headline the nominations.