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Only a nose separated Miss Artistic and Zurella in the New Zealand Oaks and trainer Shaune Ritchie is having just as much trouble splitting them on Saturday.

The stablemates will kick off their respective spring campaigns in the Group Two Let’s Elope Stakes (1400m) at Flemington and Ritchie can see positives and negatives for both.

Zurella has a 2.5kg weight advantage but Miss Artistic has residual fitness following a winter campaign in Brisbane.

“It’s a tricky one,” Ritchie said.

“If they were at level weights I’d probably say Miss Artistic because she races a bit handier and will be highly competitive.

“Zurella will get back in the field and she will be subject to the tempo of the race and finish off strongly.

“I’ve always been a little bit of a Zurella fan, expecting her to be a much better four-year-old.

“Artistic was always there as a three-year-old physically, whereas I expect Zurella to improve a fair bit.”

Miss Artistic had a mixed winter finishing second in the Doomben Roses and down the track in the Queensland Oaks.

Ritchie said that failure was the culmination of an arduous campaign.

“She had a long three-year-old campaign before she went to Brisbane and that last run was a particularly bottoming run on the heavy track,” Ritchie said.

“She’s had a month off up there and she’s not the sort of filly who carries a lot of condition so, based on that, we’re expecting her to hold a lot of her residual fitness going into this campaign and to find her form fairly quickly.”

Zurella will be making her Australian debut at Flemington after arriving in Melbourne on Sunday.

While she hasn’t had an official barrier trial, she did tune up for her return with an exhibition gallop in her homeland.

The Caulfield Cup is the race Ritchie is particularly keen for Zurella to have a shot at but she has to race herself there.

The Let’s Elope is the first step on that path and will give Ritchie an indication of just how well the three-year-old form from last season stacks up.

“Quite often you get a good bunch of three-year-olds that turn four and they end up having a great spring in Melbourne,” Ritchie said.

“And vice-versa, sometimes there can be a poor season as well. They’re the questions we’re here to get answered.”

 
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