By the time, at 54 years of age, he decided to gamble on making a success of training in Sydney Payne had won every Group 1 race run in South Africa, 23 Natal training premierships and two South African premierships.
Although he did not have any horses when he was granted boxes at Randwick in 2002 Payne has since been able to carry on from where he left off in his home country.
He has proved to be particularly effective with young stayers such as Criterion, which he prepared to win the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas and the Group 1 Australian Derby at Randwick in 2014.
Another has been Ace High, who won the Group 1 Victoria Derby at Flemington in 2017 after taking the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes at Randwick.
Realising her ability Payne put Montefilia away earlier in the year after scoring at Newcastle and being a fast finishing fourth in a Group 3 over 1400m at Rosehill.
The Kermadec filly began fulfilling her potential when at her second run back she scored a convincing win over 1500m at Rosehill.
She followed up with a fourth in the Group 2 Tea Rose Stakes (I1400m) before demonstrating her class by defeating favourite Hungry Heart in the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) at Randwick.
She then confirmed her place in the Oaks by beating the colts and geldings in the Spring Champion Stakes.
With Hugh Bowman – a winner of the Oaks on Samantha Miss and Set Square -aboard there seems to be no stopping Payne notching up Group 1 winner number 108.
If there is a serious danger to Montefilia it is the Mark Newnham’s Miravalle.
A filly by Redoute’s Choice Miravalle was a fast finishing fourth in the Group 2 Wakeful Stakes (2000m) last Saturday and will relish the additional 500m.
But whether she can go one better than Newnham’s Greysful Glamour, who finished second to Aristia in 2018 is problematical.
Another place chance is Coolmore’s Personal. Although she is by Fastnet Rock, Personal lacks brilliance but battles on gamely as evidenced in her seconds in the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) and Wakeful.
Also worth some consideration for the multiples is Succeed Indeed, who acquitted herself well in the Manifold Stakes and Ethereal Stakes before racing fiercely when restrained in the Wakeful.
Selections
- Montefilia [1]
- Miravalle [6]
- Personal [2]
- Succeed Indeed [4]