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By Ray Hickson

Trainer David Payne quickly brushes off any concern about the sharp rise in distance facing lightly raced mare Shohisha at Randwick on Saturday.

And recent history backs him up.

Shohisha steps up 500m in trip into the Fitzgerald Jenkins Recruitment Handicap (1600m) but it’s a pattern Payne used with success just a few months ago and he sees no reason why the result couldn’t be the same.

Trainer David Payne (Pic: Bradley Photos).

Arguably her first-up fourth behind boom mare Autumn Glow at Group 3 level two weeks ago was a better fresh effort than the one leading into her Randwick mile win back in June where she carried 59kg.

“She’s bred to do it and she’s fit so there’s no issue,’’ Payne said.

“If the horse is fit enough and good enough they can do it.

“She got a little bit out of her ground first-up but she finished off strongly and he didn’t punish her. She would have improved off that.”

Payne considered running Shohisha, $4.40 with TAB on Friday, in the Tramway Stakes but said coming back in grade for now is the right move.

He does respect the race is a high benchmark event but with 52kg and a favourable draw he can’t see any reason why she won’t get her chance to continue her solid second-up record.

“You only want to be two or three lengths off the leader,’’ he said.

“She’ll bounce out and we’ll possie in around third, fourth, fifth, somewhere around there.

“She’s got the class, she’s not up with the top fillies of Chris Waller’s but she’s only a couple of lengths off them.

“I looked at the Tramway but she’s a young mare and she will get better. She’s got a couple of years in her hopefully and I’d like to win a group race with her somewhere.”

Stablemate State Of America will be second-up in the same race and just like last preparation the Rosehill trainer is expecting improvement.

The gelding struggled on a heavy track first-up but he has a pattern of lifting and was a third-up winner last preparation.

From the inside barrier Payne would like to see him settle comfortably in a midfield spot.

“I’ve been trying to get him up to the 2000m, there’s an 1800m race coming up next week so he’ll back up,’’ he said.

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Randwick meeting