Payne hopes for true test for Ace High in Randwick Guineas
Ace High is twice a group 1 winner from the spring, and the maturity that comes with age has him at his best for the autumn, but even trainer David Payne admits that might not be good enough to win Saturday’s Randwick Guineas.
Harder the better: Stayer Ace High hoping for a test of the toughest in Saturday's Randwick Guineas.
Photo: AAP“At a mile he is playing in their playground, where sharpness overcomes strength and stamina,” Payne said. “All we can hope for is it's a hard mile that finds a couple of them out.
"He does not have the sprint they have, but he will still run home the same time as he has when he won the Victoria Derby and Spring Champion Stakes.”
The Randwick Guineas is a classic in the true sense, run over the testing 1600m. It brings together the best three-year-olds of the generation. Some are looking for further, some not.
But the proven winners at the highest level aren’t the favourites. Ace High has his group 1s and is a $17 chance. Kiwi Age Of Fire, the Levin Classic winner, is $21 in betting markets, and Golden Rose victor Trapeze Artist is an $8 hope. Then there's the JJ Atkins winner Capital Gain, which is the $126 outsider.
The $2.80 favourite Kementari was runner-up in the Caulfield Guineas in the spring and will look to top wins in the Eskimo Prince Stakes and Hobartville Stakes in the lead-up with a group 1 win.
Second pick D’argento ($5.50) has won three of his four starts and his only black type effort was a late closing third in the Hobartville. Pierata, a $7 chance, has won more than $2 million in stakes but faces his first test at the top level after being Hobartville runner-up.
Ace High was fifth in the Hobartville, which for his preparation was a great sign.
“He is a Derby horse, so to be that close to them at 1400m shows that he is the best he has been,” Payne said. “They get away from him when they sprint but he keeps coming and was stronger than them on the line.
“That is his advantage if they can’t run a strong mile - we know he will.”
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