After being edged out by a nose by Tajana in a thrilling battle in the Gr.3 Sunline Vase (1400m) at Ellerslie four weeks ago, Lollapalooza will try to reverse that result in Saturday’s Gr.2 Windsor Park Stud Soliloquy Stakes over the same course and distance.

Ellerslie has been the scene of some of El Vencedor’s most memorable performances, and Saturday’s Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) could see the reigning New Zealand Horse of the Year become only the second horse to win four Group One races at the Auckland track.

A familiar face will return to the Kiwi jockey’s room at Ellerslie on Saturday, with Kozzi Asano rejoining the ranks after a stint in South Korea.

Stablemates Oratia Beauty and Geneva will have opportunities to book their passages south when they step out at Ellerslie on Saturday.

Kelly Van Dyk’s Prima Park Bloodstock will be represented on both sides of the Tasman this week, from the sales ring in Sydney to the big stage at Ellerslie on Saturday.

Te Akau has been forced to take an unconventional path to Ellerslie with Quintessa and are confident the high-class mare will strip in the best possible order, given the circumstances.

Group Two performer Mary Shan will be in search of an elusive stakes victory when she heads south to Hawera on Saturday where she will contest the Gr.3 Grangewilliam Stud Breeders’ Stakes (1400m).

The Gr.3 Sunline Vase (1400m) was expected to be the weekend’s key pointer for the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), but a spectacular performance on the Ellerslie undercard had its own impact on fixed-odds betting for the Christchurch classic.

Many pre-race pundits had labelled Saturday’s Ellerslie’s feature, the Gr.3 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Sunline Vase (1400m) as a two-horse contest between Lollapalooza and Tajana, the two hottest three-year-old fillies of spring racing to date.

Fresh is best for top quality three-year-old Tajana who has thrived since her impressive return to competition last month.