Zephira has looked a natural contender for the S A Oaks over the past few months and she gets her big chance on Saturday when she contests this 2450m classic, which has now been upgraded to Gr 1 status. Geoff Woodruff's charge first hinted at her staying prospects when coming from far back to win an ordinary fillies' handicap over 2000m at the Vaal in very heavy conditions. She then stepped up in class to contest the Allez France over 2200m and once against impressed as she powered home from off the pace to beat some battle-hardened older fillies and mares. The SA Fillies Classic was next up and, despite the 1800m trip looking on the sharp side, she attracted plenty of support and raced surprisingly handy on that occasion, staying on for a creditable fifth. The form of that race was franked when runner-up Along Came Polly and fourth-placed Arcetri Pink dominated the finish of the Gr 1 Empress Club Stakes and Zephira should be a big runner here.

Mohave Princess ran respectably well when sixth in the Gauteng Fillies Guineas and the SA Fillies Classic and she was less than a length behind Zephira in the latter event, having gone for home early in the straight. Piere Strydom gets on board and she's shown enough to be a strong contender for top honours here.

Touch The Sky relished the step up to 2000m when winning the Oaks Trial in impressive fashion and the daughter of Jet Master gave the impression that she wouldn't have too much of a problem with going the Oaks trip, especially as she seems the sort who drops out early and gradually works her way into a race. However, while she has reasonable prospects of mounting a challenge here, she is now a whopping 5.5kg worse off with Square Dance, who finished second in the Oaks Trial and may struggle to confirm the form with that one.

Square Dance has a blue-blooded pedigree and one that is made for a race such as this. A winner on debut, she then failed to make an impact in her next two starts but then came into her own when upped to the 2000m of the Oaks Trial. Due to the fact that she is bred to northern hemisphere time, she receives a significant 3kg from all her rivals here. That obviously needs to be weighed against her relative backwardness in terms of age, but her last effort suggested she is ready to compete with her locally-bred rivals at this level and her weight allowance could prove decisive here,

City Of Athens has failed to place in any of her last five starts but has been bumping some decent company. She was conceding weight to most of her rivals when seventh in the Oaks Trial and will be happier under the set-weights conditions of this race. She is worth including for the larger quartets.

Coby showed some promise, winning straight out of the maiden ranks before thrown into the deep end in the Fillies Classic. Ninth place was as much as could be reasonably expected in the circumstances and this field is not as strong, so she could perhaps sneak into a minor placing if she gets the trip.

Barrack Babe has put together a good run of form but is up in class and distance here and looks to have her work cut out.

Casual was conceding 5kg to Zephira when second in that one's handicap victory over 2000m and it's worth noting that that was the only genuine stamina test she had been subjected to. Her form on either side of that run is uninspiring, but she was racing over shorter trips and her hopes seem to rest on her looking for this longer distance.

Ash Cloud was not disgraced when only four lengths behind Athina in the Fillies Classic, after making the early running. In theory, she could get a lot closer in this field if she gets the trip, but her form prior to that was rather average and it's difficult to know what to make of her.

The balance make little appeal on bare form in a race that looks to be a three-way contest. Zephira looks the right one, but Square Dance looks a huge threat with her pull at the weights and Mohave Princess should also be right on top of them. Touch The Sky looks best of the rest.