The Princess Series continues at Royal Randwick on Saturday with the Tea Rose Stakes 2020, betting for which is a two-filly battle between the improver Hungry Heart and the in-form Dame Giselle.

Hungry Heart is favourite to win second-up in the Tea Rose Stakes 2020 at Randwick on Saturday. Photo: Steve Hart.

The race towards the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) on Epsom Day continues on the weekend with the third leg of the series, the Group 2 $200,000 Tea Rose Stakes (1400m).

Due to run as Race 4 at 2:00pm as part of the George Main Stakes Day line-up, this season’s Tea Rose Stakes field features a dozen three-year-old fillies.

Heading the current Tea Rose Stakes odds at $2 having eased out from an earlier odds-on quote through Ladbrokes.com.au is the Chris Waller-trained daughter of Frankel Hungry Heart.

Waller chases his third success in the event having won the Tea Rose in 2016 with Foxplay and last spring with his subsequent Flight Stakes champ Funstar (2019).

He returns in 2020 with two runners led by the top elect Hungry Heart to be ridden by last year’s winning hoop James McDonald from an ideal barrier three draw.

Winner of the Group 2 Sweet Embrace Stakes before a Golden Slipper fifth in the autumn, Hungry Heart resumed in the second leg of the Princess Series finishing and eye-catching second to Dame Giselle in the Group 2 Furious Stakes a fortnight back.

She is tipped to improve second-up over the 1400m and confirm her position at the top of the all-in 2020 Flight Stakes markets.

The danger again is the flying Peter & Snowden-trained Dame Giselle occupying the second line of Tea Rose Stakes betting at $2.90.

The money is coming for the daughter of I Am Invincible who has been well-backed early from her opening quote of $3.60 to make it a hat-trick in the Princess Series this prep.

First-up she won the Group 2 Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) before the half-length win in the Furious Stakes and Saturday has her jumping from barrier five with Tommy Berry aboard as she looks to extend her brilliance over further.

A distant third in betting and the only other single-figure fancy to upset the dominant duo is the David Payne-trained Montefilia ($9.50).

Hugh Bowman partners the Kermadec filly who is up notably in grade here following a last start win over 1500m at Rosehill in the wet on August 8.

She was very good that day against a field of three and four-year-old rivals and has been kept fresh since, but will need to be improving to beat these fillies at this grade on a much firmer track.

Payne had Montefilia, a $130,000 Magic Millions buy, targeting the Group 1 VRC Oaks (2500m) at Flemington on November 5 but could change tactics depending on the COVID-19 situation.

“They might be a bit sharp for her at the 1400m because she needs a mile but she will be finishing it off,” Payne told The Sydney Morning Herald.

“She is going to better at the mile and beyond.

“We gave her those runs in the winter, just to season her and you can see the benefit of them now.

“The goal was always the Oaks, but with what is happening in Melbourne, we might just go to the Flight Stakes and Spring Champion and wait for the autumn for the Oaks.

“Everything she does suggests that she is up with the better fillies I have had. We are going to find out on Saturday where she fits against these fillies.”

Click here for the latest Tea Rose Stakes 2020 betting odds courtesy of Ladbrokes.com.au.

2020 Tea Rose Stakes Field

Table Credit: Racing Australia.