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By Ray Hickson

Trainer David Payne has made a point of not overtaxing Monfelicity in her 24 starts to date and hopes connections can reap the rewards in 2024 by making the transition to black type level.

Trainer David Payne. (Pic: Steve Hart).

The five-year-old chases back-to-back wins in the Climate Roofing Handicap (2000m) at Randwick on Saturday and Payne has the fingers crossed she can work her way through the grades this preparation.

Monfelicity showed a different side to herself in beating stablemate Tympanist at 1500m two weeks ago when she sat on the speed but Payne expects to be a little more conservative up in trip.

“She is a lot stronger with age and she doesn’t take much racing. You have three runs then you back off her,’’ Payne said.

“We’ve tried to give her easy preps and she’s rewarding us now. If she steps up a bit later we’ll look for some black type if we can.

“She was nice and fresh the other day, she is better from back off them and she’ll be ridden normally now it’s 2000m.”

Payne said barrier one will allow Jason Collett to position Monfelicity, $8.50 with TAB on Friday, around the middle of the pack and is confident the mare can back up her second-up effort.

“We thought she would run well, her and Tympanist, and they both ran accordingly,’’ he said.

“She’ll let three or four lead her, better than midfield. I think it will suit her, if you’ve drawn 12 you have to pull back or be four wide but she’ll be on the fence.”

Tympanist won’t be meeting Monfelicity again and Payne sees no reason why he can’t hold his form in the Precise Air Handicap (1500m).

The gelding has a reputation for being at his best on the Kensington track but he’s proven at his past couple, despite not quite getting the job done, that he doesn’t mind the course proper either.

“I think 2000m is just out of his comfort range, I thought I’d rather go here and maybe back him up next week at Rosehill,’’ he said.

“He hasn’t put a foot wrong and we expect another nice run from him. He’s nicely drawn as well, he could let a few lead him and see if he can run them down.”

The Rosehill trainer says he’s putting a line through Fox Fighter’s last start failure where he had to be ridden upside down and is looking for a return to form from the gelding in the TAB Handicap (1200m).

While he doesn’t win out of turn, Fox Fighter had been just behind the placings in both the Starlight and Razor Sharp, at Listed level, before his weakening seventh behind Noble Soldier two weeks ago.

“Forget his last run completely, he’s drawn nicely and he likes to be left alone a little,’’ Payne said.

“He’s around the mark, a couple of lengths off them all the time and just needs a bit of luck.

“When you’ve got backmarkers most times you don’t get the right run.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Randwick meeting