David Payne has masterminded a Chelmsford Stakes boilover, producing roughie Navajo Peak to upstage several weight-for-age stars and put himself in the frame for some even bigger targets.
The gelding was sent out the equal outsider of the Group 2 field at $41 but Payne took a different view, telling jockey Chad Schofield to park Navajo Peak on the speed as he was convinced he was good enough to give the race a shake.
The decorated trainer was proven right with Navajo Peak soaring to the front halfway up the straight and defying all challengers, defeating Major Beel ($26) by a long neck with Think It Over ($3.40) a brave third, another half-head away.
“He has always been a good horse. I’m so happy,” Payne said.
“You know people didn’t see his run the other day (in the Winx Stakes). He must have been running 14-wide, (the jockey) pulled him to last and he got beaten five lengths.
“I knew there was about three lengths improvement in him, plus the run.
“We had a bit of a sneaky feeling about him.”
Navajo Peak was originally trained by Allan Denham but when he retired, the horse’s owner rang Payne to see if he’d be interested in taking him over.
Payne was happy to oblige and now he is looking at Group 1 spring targets for the under-rated five-year-old.
“He’s in the ‘Metrop’, he’s in all those races. He is just an honest horse. Every campaign he has stepped up,” Payne said.
Schofield said Payne gave him confidence before the race, instructing him to sool Navajo Peak forward and put him in the race.
“Mr Payne gave a good push to me before the race,” Schofield said.
“He just said ‘he got too far back last start and he really got going through the line’.
“He said ‘whack him on the pace today and he’ll run well’, so I did that.”
Australian Derby winner Major Beel also ran an improved race second-up, while the Kerry Parker-trained Think It Over was typically gallant in his second run back from a tendon injury.
“That was a bit more of a tough test today, there was a lot of tempo early but he didn’t shirk the task. He was honest all the way to the line,” Parker said.
Parker confirmed Think It Over would now press on to the $1 million 7 Stakes (1600m) at Randwick in two weeks.
Navajo Peak gave Payne his fourth win in the Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) after Gallant Tess (2008), Nevis (2005) and Unearthly (2004).
