Racing: Alinghi begins Oaks assault

Alinghi will launch the New Zealand assault on the New South Wales Oaks in Sydney tomorrow night.

The Canterbury filly, one of the stars of the Auckland Cup carnival in December, has drawn the ace in her A$15,000 ($16,400) prelude to the classic, which will be held for A$100,000 next Friday.

She will be joined in the Oaks by Pukekohe filly Tosti Girl, who beat Alinghi in the Great Northern Oaks on December 27.

Tosti Girl returned to racing with an enormous winning performance at Alexandra Park last Friday and is likely to head to the Victoria Oaks next month after her current Sydney assignment.

The Kiwi fillies will not have things all there own way though, with the Australian filly crop one of the strongest ever, headed by the outstanding New South Wales pacer Lady Waratah.