Rosehill trainers Chris Waller and David Payne are poised for a showdown in the Flight Stakes, with their Princess Series fillies, Striking Alibi and Bangkok Hottie, set to clash again at Randwick.
Bangkok Hottie has emerged victorious in their previous two contests, the Furious and Tea Rose Stakes. However, Striking Alibi is currently the early favourite to gain retribution in Saturday’s Group 1 event.
Waller expressed his hope that the betting public has made the correct assessment, but he would be equally delighted for his fellow Rosehill conditioner to secure the prestigious prize if the odds prove incorrect.
Payne, a distinguished horseman from South Africa before establishing a successful career in Australia, is regarded as one of the sport’s true gentlemen.
He has scaled back his operation in recent years, maintaining a stable of approximately 16 horses. Despite this, he has experienced a highly productive start to the current season, boasting three stakes victories, two attributed to Bangkok Hottie and one to Persian Wonder.
Although both trainers base their operations at Rosehill, Waller and Payne do not always encounter each other during trackwork. Nevertheless, Waller acknowledged that he closely observes his rival’s activities each morning.
“He stays down in the stewards’ tower, but I have a little look at him with the binoculars now and then, see what he’s up to, because his horses are going terrific,” Waller stated. “He’s an amazing horseman. He’s a hard worker. If we don’t win, I hope he does.”
Striking Alibi, originally from Perth, has delivered promising performances in her two Sydney starts to date. She has made significant ground from the latter half of the field to secure placings in the Furious Stakes (1200m) and the Tea Rose Stakes (1400m).
Waller indicated that the filly has continued to progress, and if she can successfully handle the additional 200 metres in the Flight Stakes (1600m), he is confident she will be a strong contender in the finish.
“She was awesome the other day. She just stepped away a little bit slow and because she was second-up, we were a bit reluctant to give her a message to recover quickly. It just put us in an awkward position, but she was great,” Waller commented. “She has learned so much from each run.”
Waller is also set to field De Armas, a Listed winner in New Zealand who made late headway to finish in the midfield in her sole Australian appearance over 1200m at Warwick Farm last month.
The Flight Stakes on Saturday presents a fantastic opportunity to back a proven winner. Explore the best Australian betting sites to get involved.