Talented Southland mare Picture Me Rollin will start what trainer Jo-Anne Dalton hopes is a big season at Oamaru today.
The Highly Recommended mare returns after building a consistent record last term. She missed a top-four placing just once and scored three wins in 10 starts before heading to the spelling paddock.
The 5yr-old has returned refreshed and ready to build towards putting some feature race titles on her resume later in the season.
''At this stage we are not looking at [New Zealand] cup week, but we'll look at some of the nicer mares' races later on,'' Dalton said.
''We will get through her first couple of starts, and then there are a plenty of nice mares' races for her to have a go at.''
Picture Me Rollin resumes in rating 72 company over 1600m today in race 4.
Stepping the mare straight up to 1600m in her resuming run was completely by design, Dalton said.
''We are just trying to get out of that real wet ground down home,'' the trainer said.
''There weren't many other options.''
The Oamaru track has a slow rating leading into today's meeting.
Picture Me Rollin has an excellent record on soft ground with two wins and two placings. She also has a brilliant record over 1600m, winning three times from five starts.
Picture Me Rollin opened the $4.20 equal favourite for today's race with Khimar War and Miss Scandinavia.
Khimar War has had two 1200m starts to ready him for his step up to 1600m today but Miss Scandinavia will need to turn her form around after failing to fire in three recent South Island starts.
Dalton starts four horses at today's meeting, including Fazioli and Milano in race 8.
Few horses entered at Oamaru have better bloodlines than Faziolo, who
joined Dalton's stable after his former Cambridge Stud owners Brendon and Jo Lindsay finished racing him from Lance Noble's Karaka stable.
Milano returns from a spell after winning and running down the track in two starts in his first racing campaign.
