The Adam Trinder-trained Vivilici will be looking to make it four consecutive wins for Tasmania's leading sire Needs Further in Wednesday's Ladbrokes Elwick S. at Launceston.
The Armidale Stud-based stallion has dominated one of Tassie's premier 2-year-old races since his first crop hit the track in 2017, with Pateena Arena winning the race that year, the subsequent Group 1 winning filly Mystic Journey in 2018 and her three-quarter sister Mystical Pursuit last year.
Those three editions were all held at Elwick, but with the Hobart track not available until January 31, this year's renewal will be held at Launceston's Mowbray track.
A win for the Prime Thoroughbreds' owned Vivilici would also give Trinder three straight wins in the race.
The filly has been runner-up in both of her starts this campaign, the most recent to one of her main rivals, the Graeme McCulloch trained Entrapped (Fighting Sun).
Entrapped was beaten first-up by another leading hope in the Leanne Gaffney-trained Le Cadeau (Statue Of Liberty {USA}), who comes off another win at this track and distance last start. He ran down the Stuart Gandy-prepared Gee Gee's Josie (Wordsmith), who had beaten both Vivilici and Le Cadeau when they met in December.
Entrapped as a yearling
Those results show there is little between those four 2-year-olds and it wouldn't surprise to see one of the three first starters cause an upset.
Hot Relation (Sizzling) was an impressive recent Longford trial winner for trainer John Keys, beating another of the debutants here in Sigrid Carr's Lady Of Fortune (The Factor {USA}), while Giselle's Dance (Albrecht), trained by Yassy Nishitani, was second to Entrapped in a Longford trial.
