David Payne’s surprise filly cements VRC Oaks favouritism after Randwick win
Craig Kerry
Rosehill trainer David Payne was excited for what’s to come from immature surprise packet Proxima Dea after she gave him a third group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) win to cement her place as the VRC Oaks favourite.
The full sister to Queensland Oaks winner Gypsy Goddess took her unbeaten career to five, pushing to sit outside the leader in the $2 million three-year-old feature from the outside gate under Zac Lloyd before going for home on the home bend at Randwick on Saturday. The tactic paid off as Gloaming Stakes (1800m) winner Proxima Dea, unwanted with a $300,000 reserve at yearling sales and retained by her breeders, fended off favourite and Flight Stakes (1600m) champion Global Goal by a length and a half. Cormier was third.
She was in from $3.50 to $2.30 (TAB) for the Oaks (2500m) on November 5 at Flemington.
“To look at her, you wouldn’t give much for her, but geez, she seems to have everything. She’s got guts and heart,” Payne said.
“I said to [Lloyd], ‘She’ll outstay them. We can’t have a sit and sprint. If nothing goes, you go. Otherwise, sit outside the leader and go early on her.’
“She’ll love [the Oaks], and you can give her a bit of an easier ride.”
It was a first group 1 win for Payne, 78, since 2020 Spring Champion victor Montefilia took out the 2022 Ranvet – her fourth success at the top level – for the same ownership as Proxima Dea. Payne also won the 2017 Spring Champion with colt Ace High.
“This filly keeps surprising me,” said Payne, a champion trainer and jockey in South Africa before coming to Sydney in 2002.
“Montefilia was a good filly, but I think this filly stays better than Montefilia.
“I had a New Zealand filly in South Africa called Petrava, she was unbelievable [and won five group 1s]. She used to just jump and run to the front, 1600, lead all the way. She could sprint a mile.
“I’ve had a lot of good fillies but this one, she’s the ugliest I think, but she keeps surprising me. She might be, the way she’s going, I mean, five in a row in her first prep, who knows?
“I’ve had some good staying fillies, but she’s exceptional because she’s still not mature, when you look at her.”
It was also gutsy effort from Lloyd, who battled illness to ride on a warm day at Randwick after missing the midweek meeting at Warwick Farm. He earlier won the Highway Handicap on Scott Singleton-trained Ocean Tsunami.
Guineas on map for Central Europe
Chris Waller-trained Central Europe later broke through at his seventh start, sweeping to a 3¼-length win in the $1 million group 3 Callander-Presnell (1600m) for three-year-olds.
The Frankel colt, an unlucky second in the Skyline Stakes and placed in the Pago Pago Stakes and Rosebud, came from second last down the outside under Jason Collett to prove a class above.
“I think maybe a Sandown Guineas could be a nice race for him and then obviously aim a lot higher in the autumn,” Waller representative Darren Beadman said.
“James [McDonald] was always saying he was pretty good and today he showed it with his turn of foot.”
In the Kirkham Plate (1000m) for two-year-olds to start the day, Waller-trained Exo Velocity ($13) caused an upset with a rails run from last under Kerrin McEvoy to edge out stablemate Tour De Force ($7) by a long neck on debut.
Exo Velocity, a $650,000 Zoustar yearling bought by Waller and Guy Mulcaster, is the first foal out of Dalrello and Calaway Gal Stakes winner Exo Lady and looks likely to target the Magic Millions carnival in January.
