KEY POINTS:
Punters have a nightmare job marrying up relative fitness levels with the class factor in the Mudgway Stakes.
Towards the end of one of the wettest winters we've seen, some contenders run the risk of being slightly away from required fitness.
One of those is Lovetrista, who has not raced since suffering a back injury at Te Rapa last December.
Keepa Cruisin and Lovetrista met three times last season and Lovetrista finished in front on each occasion.
The Matamata mare ran past Keepa Cruising by one and a half lengths when they finished first and second in the Soliloquy Stakes at Ellerslie, then a short neck separated them in the Sarten Memorial at Te Rapa.
There was a neck between them when second and third in the 1000 Guineas, the placings later reversed on inquiry. The difference this time is that Keepa Cruisin has had a race - third under 59kg at Taupo.
But Lovetrista's trainer John Sargent is not too concerned. "She's only 90 per cent fit, but class takes you a long way ... and she's got plenty."
