Latest News

By Ray Hickson

Trainer David Payne isn’t ruling out his star mare Montefilia commencing her spring with a win at Royal Randwick on Saturday but concedes she’ll be at the mercy of the tempo in the Group 2 $250,000 Daily Press Chelmsford Stakes (1600m).

The five-year-old has started her past two preparations over the Randwick mile and was beaten less than three lengths on both occasions.

Trainer David Payne. (Pic: Steve Hart).

She finished third in last year’s Chelmsford to Think It Over but struck a heavy 10 in the autumn in Verry Elleegant’s Chipping Norton Stakes, finishing seventh.

Payne said the four time Group 1 winner has had a smooth build up and it’s over to her and jockey Jason Collett to see what unfolds on Saturday given there doesn't appear to be a lot of speed in a race littered with stayers in the early stages of their campaigns.

“I’m happy with her, she’s going well. The 1600m is a bit on the short side but she is well in herself,’’ he said.

“We always expect a good run from her, she’s very honest and she’s a much stronger mare now.

“It just depends on the speed of the race, if it’s a sit and sprint she will find it hard.”

Montefilia, $4.40 with TAB on Thursday, won The Metropolitan last spring at her third run back while she downed Verry Elleegant in the Ranvet Stakes second-up in the autumn.

Payne said with her main aim at twice Saturday’s distance she will naturally have improvement fitness wise and he’s dealing now with a fully mature mare who looks nothing like the horse that kicked off her career with a win in March 2020.

She spelled with another South African expat in Lionel Cohen out at Luddenham after contesting the Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes and obviously did well in the break.

“If you remember her as a two and three-year-old she was very light, like a greyhound, but she’s bulked up now nicely,’’ he said.

“I don’t really weigh my horses but I can see she has put on plenty. We didn’t knock her about, we looked after her in her trials, she has a long prep ahead.”

It’s likely Montefilia will head toward the Group 2 $1 million Hill Stakes (2000m) on October 1 before venturing to Melbourne.

Stablemate Raging Bull has a fair way to go match Montefilia’s deeds but Payne will give him the the chance to target the Metropolitan if he handles a class rise in the Listed $160,000 YLC City Tattersalls Cup (2400m)

The lightly raced four-year-old was thought enough of by Payne last season to contest the ATC Derby, where he ran a respectable sixth, and showed he’d returned in fine form lumping 61kg to a first-up win over 1800m three weeks ago.

“It’s a big step up for him so it will give us a good idea how good he is,’’ Payne said.

“He’s a bit fitter now than when he won the other day. He had 61kg and he drew 12, there was the track bias and he was the only one who really made up ground so it was a good effort.

“We’ve always thought he was a decent horse but that he would also take a bit of time. He’s coming into himself now. He’s as game as anything so I’m sure he will be running on.”

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