KEY POINTS:
Trainer David Payne will be looking to continue his domination of Sydney's 2-year-old racing with Iron Lady at Rosehill today.
Payne has won all three of the Sydney juvenile races this season, with victories to Rock Me Baby, Stripper and Soho Secret.
Iron Lady, a filly by Lucky Owners, ran fourth to Soho Secret on debut at Randwick last Saturday and Payne is expecting a different galloper in today's 1100m race.
"It was a good run but she wasn't fully wound up for it so there will be plenty of improvement in her," Payne said last night.
Two of Payne's three juvenile winners were ridden by fellow South African Jeff Lloyd and the Randwick trainer will again entrust a countryman to today's ride, with Glyn Schofield reuniting with Iron Lady.
"Glyn has done a bit of work with her on the track and has ridden her in a race, so he's getting a good feel for her and with 2-year-olds it's important to have somebody who knows the horse," Payne said.
"He said she was a bit dumb and didn't really know what was going on in that first start but he's been happy with the improvement she's been making."
The 2-year-old fillies, colts and geldings' 1100m events were combined into the Cadbury Boost Handicap after only two nominations were received for the male division - the Bede Murray-trained Hangover Henry and debutant African Prince from the John Hawkes stable.
But taking on the males doesn't bother Payne.
"We've been forced to take them on and had no say in it but I'm still confident she'll be competitive," he said.
Hangover Henry finished a close third to Soho Secret last week while African Prince, who is Hawkes' first Sydney runner since his split with Crown Lodge last spring, won his only trial at Rosehill on Tuesday nicely and has impressed trackwatchers for the past month.
- AAP
