 Australia Expert - Patrick Payne |
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| Patrick Payne is currently a trainer in Australia and a well known former jockey in Hong Kong. He is a member of an extraordinary racing family comprising of eight successful jockeys. Having various stints between 1994 and 2004 in Hong Kong, he achieved his highest strike rate of 14.8%. As a champion jockey with a career that began in 1990, Payne rode more than 1000 winners, with 19 Group One race wins, including the Cox Plate. In 2007, he acquired his Australian trainer license, winning races such as Mornington Cup and Adelaide Cup. | |
Overseas Expert Column for The Championships - Doncaster Mile Day (S2) (Patrick Payne)
S2-1 P J Bell Stakes
NAYELI is a lightly raced filly and she won impressively first up this preparation. All her runs have been in the highest quality fields so down in grade and against other fillies makes her very appealing.
PEEPING is racing in great form. She went forward last start and had the benefit of an easy run behind leaders and dashed through to win. Things could be trickier here from a wide gate but she has been placed in all five starts.
PITTSBURGH FLYER has travelled from Victoria and if she handles the right-handed way of racing in Sydney she has the form to be in the finish. It also helps that she has the assistance of Joao Moreira.
Lightly raced Godolphin filly MATILIJA has won two of her three starts and with further improvement likely she looks best of the rest.
SELECTIONS: 1.NAYELI, 2.PEEPING, 3.PITTSBURGH FLYER & 10. MATILIJA
S2-2 ATC Sires Produce Stakes
PRIDE OF DUBAI is a high class juvenile that Hong Kong viewers would have seen land the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes on 28 February with a degree of authority. Judging by his appearance in the parade ring I felt he still had room for improvement so the others had better look out! The track and distance appear to suit perfectly and he has trialled well since.
Victorian raider READY FOR VICTORY was unlucky to miss a place in the G1 Golden Slipper when finishing fourth despite hanging badly off the home turn. It was an excellent effort to finish as close as he did then and if he can iron out that problem he will be in the mix again.
PASADENA GIRL is unbeaten 2-2 in Melbourne, she has drawn well and there’s no reason why she can’t go well over a longer trip for a top trainer at what could be good odds. ENGLISH is an obvious selection since she is trained by Gai Waterhouse and ran second last time in the G1 Golden Slipper. She has winning form at this track and the 1,400m is unlikely to pose much of a problem.
SELECTIONS: 1.PRIDE OF DUBAI, 3.READY FOR VICTORY, 8.PASADENA GIRL & 7.ENGLISH
S2-3 Australian Derby
PREFERMENT won the G1 Victoria Derby last November and he gives every indication that is up to completing the double. Damien Oliver rode him last start in the G1 Rosehill Guineas over 2,000m when he was just beaten in a tight finish but as a trial for this race it was very encouraging. He is the fresh horse on the scene and stepping up in distance suits him perfectly.
The quality New Zealand stayer VOLKSTOK’N’BARRELL nosed out my top pick PREFERMENT last start at Rosehill and he has the services of Craig Williams. My only concern is that he has had a tough campaign – he ran second in the G1 New Zealand Derby in late February – but he is very consistent and has never finished out of the first three in nine starts.
HAURAKI is an exciting prospect and he entered calculations for this race with an explosive win last Saturday at Rosehill over 2,000m. On that occasion he settled in midfield and quickly settled matters in the straight with a really impressive turn of foot for this same rider, the in-form James McDonald. Winner of the G1 New Zealand Derby was MONGOLIAN KHAN but he disappointed last time out at Rosehill. He is on something of a retrieval mission but his canny trainer wouldn’t try him here if he didn’t feel, he was up to it and this distance is ideal.
SELECTIONS: 1.PREFERMENT, 2.VOLKSTOK’N’BARRELL, 5.HAURAKI & 3.MONGOLIAN KHAN
DOUBLE TRIO SELECTIONS (16 unit bets):
S2-3: Multiple – 1.PREFERMENT, 2.VOLKSTOK’N’BARRELL, 5.HAURAKI & 3.MONGOLIAN KHAN
S2-4: Multiple – 3.CHAUTAUQUA, 2.TERRAVISTA, 1.LANKAN RUPEE & 10.SWEET IDEA
S2-4 T J Smith Stakes
Recent form suggests there is very little to choose between the top three in the market here but I will side with CHAUTAUQUA, a top class sprinter returning to Sydney. He is sure to be suited by this high-pressure race and he has that rare ability to quicken regardless of how fast the tempo.
TERRAVISTA, with nine wins from fourteen starts, seems to do better racing in Sydney. He ran third last time out in Melbourne but he never seemed in the right spot and I suspect he will do better on this track where he has a perfect 3-3 record.
LANKAN RUPEE easily won this race last year and for some time he was widely considered the best sprinter in the world. His reputation took a bit of a dent last time, however, in Melbourne and he has finished behind the top two selections the last two times they have met. Still, he is much too classy to dismiss.
SWEET IDEA was very impressive in the way she won the G1 Galaxy first up at Rosehill a fortnight ago despite losing a shoe in the run. If she can back up that effort she will be the thick of things, but this race does looks stronger again.
SELECTIONS: 3.CHAUTAUQUA, 2.TERRAVISTA, 1.LANKAN RUPEE & 10.SWEET IDEA
TREBLE SELECTIONS (27 unit bets):
S2-4: Multiple – 3.CHAUTAUQUA, 2.TERRAVISTA & 1.LANKAN RUPEE
S2-5: Multiple – 4.REAL IMPACT, 10.HALLOWED CROWN & 14.PORNICHET
S2-6: Multiple – 2.WINE TALES, 1.ABDUCTION & 3.MAASTRICHT
S2-5 Doncaster Mile
The top class Japanese challenger REAL IMPACT races forward and is very strong at the finish as he displayed on his first Australian start in the G1 George Ryder Stakes over 1,500m. He was taken on by the very smart CRITERION in that race but still found a way to win. He is sure to be fitter for that run and should be suited better to Randwick.
Despite his wide draw, HALLOWED CROWN looks well placed off his light mark in the handicap and back to the spacious Randwick track at which he won the G1 Royal Randwick Guineas last month. He was a little disappointing last start in the G1 Rosehill Guineas but this race has been the target for some time.
French import PORNICHET looked the part in an easy win at Rosehill last Saturday. Dropping back to 1,600m won’t hurt his chances and neither will the likelihood of a wet track. Five times ROYAL DESCENT has tackled this course and distance where she has run second in all 5 starts. That level of consistency means she can’t be omitted from considerations especially with Joao Moreira riding this time.
WORLD ACE should not be forgotten apart from all the attention on his Japanese compatriot REAL IMPACT. WORLD ACE ran fourth in the G1 Hong Kong Mile last December and though he finished down the field on his prep run in Australia he can improve on that effort and should be a good price.
SELECTIONS: 4.REAL IMPACT, 10.HALLOWED CROWN, 14.PORNICHET, 6.ROYAL DESCENT & 3.WORLD ACE
S2-6 Adrian Knox Stakes
WINE TALES looks sure to be prominent here. She was just beaten last start in a good race on the provincial circuit when she was ridden forward. She is better when ridden quietly, so expect improvement with Joao Moreira up.
From the in-form Godolphin stable ABDUCTION is a classy filly that has contested and done well in better races than this. James McDonald will take the reins.
MAASTRICHT has finished third in her last two starts and looks booked for another prominent finish while RUSTIC MELODY bolted in at a provincial track last time and still appeals that he is back to the city now. She has been very consistent of late.
SELECTIONS: 2.WINE TALES, 1.ABDUCTION, 3.MAASTRICHT & 7.RUSTIC MELODY
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