Thousand Guineas 2015: Payroll To Roll Forward

Trainer Richard Laming has confirmed that he expects jockey Jim Cassidy to press forward on talented filly Payroll in the early stages of the 2015 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield on Saturday.

Jim Cassidy has been booked to ride Payroll in the 2015 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield on Saturday. Photo by: Sarah Ebbett

Jim Cassidy has been booked to ride Payroll in the 2015 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield on Saturday. Photo by: Sarah Ebbett

Payroll has shown a degree of tactical versatility during her racing career to date, but she appeared to relish being ridden aggressively in the Group 2 Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) at Caulfield on September 26 and she toughed it out to the line to finish second behind Miss Gunpowder.

Laming told Racing Ahead this morning that he was not happy when Payroll was allocated the inside gate at the 2015 Thousand Guineas barrier draw yesterday, but he remains hopeful that Cassidy can settle the Not A Single Doubt filly just behind likely leader Miss Gunpowder in the early stages of the race.

“I would have preferred to draw further out because she is a big-striding filly and she would have been better on the outside of horses where she can get into a bit of a rhythm and get comfortable,” Laming said.

“Hopefully Jimmy can get out and get comfortable.

“There doesn’t look to be a great deal of speed in the race, I suppose that Miss Gunpowder will roll forward from the wide barrier and I will leave it up to Jim, but hopefully we can be up on the speed and get her comfortable.”

Payroll started her 2015 Spring Racing Carnival campaign with a flat effort in the Listed Cap D’Antibes Stakes (1100m) at Flemington on September 12, but she returned to the form she showed as a two-year-old when she finished second in the Thousand Guineas Prelude.

Laming was thrilled with the performance of Payroll in the Thousand Guineas Prelude and he revealed that the three-year-old had taken plenty of benefit out of the tough run ahead of the 2015 Thousand Guineas this weekend.

“It was a terrific effort,” Laming said.

“Jimmy used his initiative and let her roll from the half mile and went out to sit outside the leader.

“She obviously couldn’t have run any quicker than she did.

“Leading into it I hadn’t done a heap with her after the Flemington run because I always had the Thousand Guineas and the Oaks in the back of my mind, so she surely wasn’t peaking for her last start.

“I thought that the run may have taken a bit out of her, but it has actually brought her on and she hasn’t missed a beat.”

Payroll is currently available at 2015 Thousand Guineas odds of $19 with Ladbrokes and she is on the eighth line of betting behind Stay With Me ($4.40), Pasadena Girl ($4.40), Miss Gunpowder ($6), Badawiya ($6), Jameka ($9), Sagaronne ($15) and Super Cash ($15).

You can score best tote or starting price plus 20% on the Thousand Guineas and every single other race at Caulfield on Saturday with leading online bookmaker Ladbrokes!

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Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.