Ron Quinton's assessment of his two Golden Pendant chances Dixie Blossoms and Daysee Doom at Rosehill on Saturday differs to that of bookmakers.
Quinton says there is nothing between his mares however betting agencies currently rate Daysee Doom ($5) ahead of Dixie Blossoms ($7.50).
Both mares are shaping as key hopes on Saturday following encouraging first-up runs at Rosehill on September 9, although in vastly different circumstances.
Dixie Blossoms resumed over 1300m in the Group II Theo Marks Stakes and simply had no answer to Deploy which won in track-record time.
The daughter of Street Sense understandably yielded ground towards the finish after travelling in second but still battled on gamely to finish fourth.
Quinton said Dixie Blossoms came through the run well despite being exposed to the fiercely-run 1300m contest fresh from a spell.
"She's actually done really well since," Quinton said. "She's never run a bad race in her life and I wouldn't be expecting her to run a bad on Saturday either.
"And under the conditions of Saturday, with only 2kg between the field, she's well placed."
Daysee Doom, by contrast, stormed home from worse than midfield to run third in a comparatively slow race in the Group III Sheraco Stakes (1200m).
"I'm very happy with Daysee Doom as well," Quinton said.
"Both horses worked on the course proper on Tuesday morning and couldn't have gone better."
An unseasonably dry and windy winter has hardened Sydney's tracks but Quinton is confident his versatile pair will be mostly unaffected by the conditions.
"I think every horse prefers a little bit of give in the ground, it's only natural," Quinton said.
"It's easier on their joints but they're both very sound mares so I'm not too concerned about it."
The Golden Pendant has been the recipient of significant prizemoney injections in recent years.
Since 2010, the race's purse has grown from $125,000 to $400,000, as the Australian Turf Club continues its push to elevate the race to Group I status – complementing the Group I Golden Rose (1400m) for three-year-olds on the same day.
