John O’Shea’s last start Toy Show Quality winner Pearls is one of the leading Sheraco Stakes 2016 nominated mares for the Group 3 feature at Rosehill Gardens this Saturday in Sydney.

Toy Show Quality winner Pearls is the headline 2016 Sheraco Stakes nominee for this Saturday at Rosehill Gardens. Photo: Steve Hart.

Held as part of the nine-race Golden Rose Stakes Day program, this year’s $125,000 Group 3 Sheraco Stakes (1200m) for fillies and mares attracted a bumper 17 early entries.

The in-form mare in the mix is the Godolphin-raced Exceed And Excel four-year-old Pearls who won the Group 3 Toy Show Quality (1300m) at Randwick on August 20.

That was her first-up run of the spring and on Saturday, if accepted, she’s back to a distance she has a strong record over (4-1-2-0).

O’Shea has also nominated for his Street Cry four-year-old Alucinari who won the Listed Denises Joy Stakes (1100m) at Scone two back in mid-May before a resuming run for second over 1100m at Rosehill in a Benchmark 80 a fortnight ago.

Also out of the Toy Show Quality and nominated for the Shearco this Sydney Spring Racing Carnival is the Ron Quinton-trained runner-up Dixie Blossoms.

A lightly-raced Street Sense four-year-old, she has had six starts for two wins and three thirds to date.

Her past three runs going back to February have all produced second place efforts including the Toy Show when defeated only a long neck and the Group 3 Keith Nolan Stakes (1600m) at Kembla Grange before that on March 11.

The highest-rated of the Sheraco Stakes nominated mares is the Tim Martin-trained Heavens Above who also holds a nomination for the $200,000 Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) on Saturday.

A super-consistent daughter of Street Cry, she chases her first win since the Group 3 Aspiration Quality (1600m) at Randwick in early May.

She placed second twice after that in the autumn including behind Azkadellia in the Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) before resuming with a fourth, beaten only 1.6 lengths, behind Pearls in the Toy Show.

Set for her four-year-old debut is the David Pfieffer-trained Denmagic who was last seen running second to Tsaritsa when narrowly beaten in Brisbane’s Group 2 Queensland Guineas (1600m) on June 11.

She has trialled once since at Rosehill finishing a nice second to Our Boy Malachi over 900m on August 30.

Also nominated for a resuming run in the Shearco Stakes this season are the likes of the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Group 3 Hawkesbury Crown winner Nancy and her stablemates Ravi and Serene Majesty.

Redoute’s Choice mare Ravi won back-to-back Sydney races at the end of last prep including over 1200m on a mud Rosehill track on June 4, while Fastnet Rock four-year-old Serene Majesty was last seen winning the Inglis Guineas (1400m) at Scone on May 14.

That followed two thirds over 1400m including to Spill The Beans in the Group 3 Hawkesbury Guineas on April 30.

Other notable hopes include the Kris Lees-trained Group 3 winner Savoureux, the Kevin Kemp-trained Daybreak Lover Stakes winner Sold For Song who ran third to Tivaci last start in July’s Group 3 Sunshine Coast Guineas (1600m) and the David Brideoake-trained Cockram Stakes winner a fortnight back Thames Court.

Check out the full Sheraco Stakes 2016 nominations below, the final acceptances and betting markets at Ladbrokes.com.au set for release on Wednesday.

2016 Sheraco Stakes Nominations

Rosehill Racecourse – 10/09/2016