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By Ray Hickson

His initial plan was to target the Sydney Cup with Montefilia but trainer David Payne says the multiple Group 1 winning mare deserves the right to take on the best of the best at Randwick on Saturday.

Trainer David Payne. (Pic: Steve Hart).

The Group 1 $4m Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) wasn’t Plan A for the four-year-old’s autumn campaign.

But trainers know you always need to be prepared to pivot with horses and that’s what happened early in Montefilia’s preparation.

“It was a completely different plan,’’ Payne said.

“We brought her back into work and she was doing well. She was going to run in the Chipping Norton, the Sky High, the Tancred and Sydney Cup.

“One day she left some food and we took her blood count and she had a very high white cell count.

“So we had to back her off and put her on two sets of antibiotics. I said to the owners we can’t go to a two mile race now, we’ll have to go to the Queen Elizabeth.”

Montefilia ultimately did resume in the Chipping Norton, finishing 2-1/2 lengths behind Verry Elleegant on the heavy 10.

He elected to miss the Sky High and was one of five horses willing to take Verry Elleegant on in the Group 1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) three weeks ago and history shows Montefilia was far too strong, racing to an easy two length win.

After you do that, Payne said the Queen Elizabeth had to be a logical next step.

“You’ve got to go there. She’s won four Group 1s,’’ he said.

“It will give us a good idea how good she is, this is the cream of the crop. It will sort them all out and at the end of the day they’ll say that’s the best horse.”

Despite the Ranvet result, Montefilia was a $9 chance on Wednesday in the Queen Elizabeth with Verry Elleegant a firm $3 favourite.

Hugh Bowman, who has won two Group 1s on the mare, is back on board replacing the injured Jason Collett and chasing his fifth success in the flagship race of the Star Championships.

“She’s a horse I’ve had a bit to do with and I think personally 2000m is her best distance,’’ Bowman said.

“She’s had a lovely preparation going into the race, it’s a good race though, mind you, isn’t it but I think she’s a great chance.”

Bowman labelled Zaaki as the horse he feels looms largest over the Queen Elizabeth but says it’s unwise to rule out a champion like Verry Elleegant.

Montefilia wins the Ranvet Stakes

Payne said while the Sydney Cup was the original aim, he’s pleased that Montefilia will arrive at the Queen Elizabeth peaking at just her third run from a spell.

“That was only her second run this prep, she had the mile run then went straight to the 2000m so you’d think there’d be a fitness advantage,’’ he said.

“With horses like (Zaaki, Verry Elleegant, Anamoe, Duais) in the race there’s no margin for error. If you get luck in running it’s a bonus, if you don’t that happens in a race.

"She’s going in well and I’m happy.”

All the fields, form and replays for Day 2 of The Star Championships at Randwick