"She had her last sprint up [last Tuesday] and I was very happy with the way she worked."
Fleur de Lune started her racing career at Arawa Park, clearing out on her rivals in a maiden 1200m in January last year to win by 4 lengths.
Since that debut, she has raced 15 times for a further three wins and nine placings and she has boosted her stake earnings to $187,525. Victory on Saturday will see her sweep past $200,000.
Fleur de Lune has proved she is up to the best company, having picked up four group one placings.
She has twice been placed in the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes at Te Aroha - third last year and the closest of seconds behind Say No More last month - and she has finished third in the Makfi Challenge Stakes at Hastings and the Manco Easter Handicap at Ellerslie.
Somervell was originally considering turning Fleur de Lune out for a spell after the Easter Handicap placing behind Veyron, but decided to press on for this Rotorua feature.
"I did also think about running her in the Travis Stakes after the Easter, but that would have been too much," he said.
"It was better to wait for this one, then she can go out. She should be in for a good year next season.
"She will be that much stronger."
Fleur de Lune will be ridden again by Jason Jago on Saturday. The former South African jockey is the only one to have won on the Stravinsky mare.
The opposition for Fleur de Lune in the Windsor Park Stud Rotorua Stakes will include two members of the Awapuni stable of Lisa Latta - Sacha and Zennista.
Sacha, a winner of nine races and $167,000 in prizemoney, finished third in the corresponding event last year and was a late-start fourth behind Double Barrel at Hastings.
Zennista, the runner-up to Midnight Oil in last year's New Zealand Oaks, won over 1600m at Trentham last month and, like Sacha, she will appreciate the wet ground.
