Payne Pairing An Inglis Classic Threat

Risky Blonde looked like being one of the two year olds to watch this season and she still may be if she can bounce back to form tomorrow in the Inglis Classic at Rosehill.

The David Payne trained runner won her first two trials at the end of last year to prove there’s a little bit of class about her.

She backed that up on debut at Gosford winning a tight finish over 1000m as the starting favourite.

Unfortunately at her last start things didn’t go quite as well as she finished over seven lengths off Raceway in fifth spot.

Payne acknowledges that at the moment Raceway is in a class above but there’s nothing of that league up against him tomorrow.

“She won her first start and then her next start she wouldn’t have won but she should have been a couple of lengths closer,” he said.

“She raced wide and was a little bit green.”

She’s drawn gate 11 for the Inglis Classic and from there they’re going to try and jag a spot just off the pace.

“We’ll be from that draw a couple of pairs back I suppose,” Payne said.

“She’s not a big filly but she’s very honest, ridden with a bit of a sit we might see a different filly tomorrow.”

At her previous two starts she’s been one of the leaders so it’s a different strategy but one that’ll also help her run the trip.

Payne has a second runner tomorrow as well in the form of filly Chez Harmony.

She was bought for $100,000, $30,000 more than Risky Blonde, but has struggled at her two starts to date.

She was sixth in the Gimcrack last year and last start at Kembla grange she was never in the race.

“I think I put the blinkers on her as a mistake, it fired her up before the barriers,” Payne said.

“She was never on the track, she got beat nine lengths but the winner won by about three, it wasn’t such a bad effort.”

She’s a get back type and from barrier eight you can expect her to be somewhere around midfield once again.

“We’ll ride her with a bit of a sit tomorrow,” Payne said.

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