Now that Serenade has scraped into the Golden Slipper field, trainer Mike Moroney expects her to run better than her odds suggest.

Serenade, a $101 chance, was first emergency but gained a start in Saturday's $3.5 million showpiece on race eve when the Clarry Conners-trained Look To The Stars came out with a foot abscess.

Moroney was surprised how well the daughter of Star Witness pulled up from her closing fourth in last Saturday's Magic Night Stakes and thinks she has improved from the run.

"We ran last week and were a bit worried about backing up, but after Tuesday we were hoping she made the field because she came through that well," Moroney said.

Craig Williams, who was to ride Look To The Stars, will now partner Serenade.

"I think she's a pretty smart two-year-old. It would be no surprise to see her right in it," Moroney said.

"You've got to remember she had not had a run for more than a month going into the Magic Night Stakes.

"She had a barrier trial in between and we'd had a week in the paddock. So there's good reason to believe she would improve with last week's run."

Serenade's only win in four starts was at Canterbury in January. She was third in the Inglis Classic in February.