Proxima Dea, ridden by Zac Lloyd, will take some beating in the $1 million Oaks but star jockey Jamie Melham isn't discounting several rivals.
The David Payne-trained stayer ($2.30) is the clear favourite for the 2500m Group 1 classic for three-year-old fillies at Flemington on Thursday.
She remains unbeaten from five starts after scoring a maiden win at Randwick in July and thrashing the boys, including Victoria Derby winner Stormy Marco, in the Group 1 Champion Stakes late last month.
A wide draw - jumping from barrier 18 after Waiheke Rose's scratching - and racing in the Melbourne direction for the first time loom as question marks.
But Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Melham reckons the Sydney-based galloper is still the obvious frontrunner.
"There's probably about six horses in the Oaks who are good chances," she told AAP on Wednesday.
"The favourite is going to be hard to beat."
Melham, the first female jockey to win the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double with Half Yours last year, has four rides booked on Ladies' Day but lamented not securing a mount in the feature race.
She will instead be barracking for her husband Ben when he jumps on 100-to-1 outsider Nikitria.
"He (Ben) thought he'd be half a chance in the Oaks," Melham said.
"He hasn't drawn a great gate (15) but she's got blinkers on and I'll be cheering for him regardless.
"I haven't won an Oaks yet. I really wanted to be in the Oaks to win it but there's always next year."
On form, De Armas ($3.10) shapes as the main contender to take down Proxima Dea after an impressive win in the Group 2 Wakeful Stakes on Saturday.
She is one of three runners for Chris Waller, who is chasing his first Oaks triumph after finishing runner-up last year with The Pearls.
Blake Shinn has been shunted on to stablemate Your Colour ($26) so Waller could make good on a promise to Shinn's fellow leading jockey James McDonald.
"We committed to him (McDonald) ... that he could ride the best chance in the Oaks," Waller said on Monday.
"That was before Blake won on it (in the Wakeful Stakes) and that's why James is on it."
Other hopefuls in the Oaks - the fifth of eight Group 1s across the Melbourne Cup carnival - include Icelady ($8.50), Quick Finish ($12) and Tharwa ($26).
