Northern mares Queens Rose and The Filly will be favoured by punters at Tauranga on Saturday but will need to be a their best to beat off a strong Central Districts challenge.

At stake is valuable Listed black-type and $50,000 prizemoney in the Team Wealleans Tauranga Classic.

The Filly, inside, beats off I Do to claim black-type earlier in her career. Photo: Race Images.

The northerners are in good form for the weight-for-age fillies and mares event over 1400 metres with proven mares challenged by several rising winter stars.

Six-year-old, The Filly has been there and done that, winning 10 races and collecting black-type but owner-trainer Murray Neal knows the more wins at stakes level the more valuable she is when retired to the broodmare paddock.

She brings winning form to the race defeating Queens Rose at Ellerslie on May 30. Mark Hills, The Filly's regular rider, is aboard again.

Trainer, Graham Richardson, would like nothing better than to turn the tables and earn black-type for Queens Rose with Vinnie Colgan in the saddle.

The talented O'Reilly mare has won seven from 19 but, each time she has been tested in black-type company, she has failed to deliver.

"I only hope she can do it on Saturday for her breeders and the syndicate that race her," says Richardson.

"She's so genuine and deserves black-type, she needs a loose track which it looks likes we will get and she has winning form at Tauranga, so here's hoping Saturday is her day."

Lisa Latta will return for another shot at the Classic with talented mare North And South - but with some trepidation.

The Awapuni trainer had the Strategic Image mare in top condition for last year's race but returned home disappointed after North And South finished ninth of the 10 runners.

"We expected her to go well fresh at Trentham [at her last start] as she always goes well first-up. It was a good effort and she's continued to train on well. She worked really well on Tuesday in the reverse [right-handed] direction.

"As long as we get rain, which they are forecasting, I'd expect her to go close. It would be nice to get black-type for the mare."

Safely through this weekend's race, North And South - to be ridden on Saturday by Robbie Hannam - will prepare for next month's Listed Opunake Cup, then a trip to Riccarton for the Winter Cup.

Tina Egan made a successful northern visit 12 months ago and she has doubled her hand in a bid to further her record on Saturday.

The Stratford trainer produced the talented Better Keeper to dead-heat for third behind I Do and Postmans Daughter in the event a year ago.

Egan's focus this time around is with Cassie Anne and Hostage and both mares are in solid form to take on the weight-for-age feature.

"Cassie Anne would prefer it if the track stayed at slow," says Egan. "She's been going good races on bad tracks."

The winner of four of her 17 starts, the five-year-old was in fine form during the summer with one of her best performances a fifth placing, and less than two lengths from the winner Pure Champion, in the Manawatu Challenge Stakes.

Cassie Anne has had three runs back from a break and most recently she ran third behind the impressive Start Wondering at Wanganui. She will be ridden by the country's leading rider Matt Cameron while promising apprentice Shaun McKay has been booked for Hostage.

The six-year-old was a last-start Rating 75 winner in heavy ground at Trentham and Egan will be thrilled even if the mare is a minor player on Saturday.

New Plymouth filly Choice is another strong Central Districts prospect while Alleyoop and Aaja Nachle are in-form northern mares capable of stepping up to black-type level at their first attempt.

Additional reporting NZ Racing Desk.