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Payne aiming to cherry-pick Adelaide Guineas

Patrick Payne believes he has found the perfect race for Cherry Tortoni in Saturday’s $107,250 Adelaide Galvanising Adelaide Guineas (1600m) at Morphettville.

One of the nation’s better performed three-year-olds, Cherry Tortoni has raced at Group level in 10 of 12 starts and is a Group 2 winner of the Moonee Valley Vase back in the spring.

“He loves Flemington 1600m and Morphettville is very similar to that,” Payne said on RadioTAB’s Racing Active.

“We thought this would be an ideal race and he’s been in great order (since Sydney).”

Despite being beaten only 1.5 lengths in the Group 2 Tulloch Stakes in Sydney when he made good ground from back in the field behind Yaletown, Payne said he was still slightly disappointed with Cherry Tortoni’s run.

“I didn’t think he performed as good as he can and he just pulled-up a little bit flat,” Payne said.

But since returning home Cherry Tortoni has trialled well at Cranbourne and Payne said combining with leading Adelaide rider Todd Pannell would be ideal for a the horse who finds himself back in his races.

“He just needs to find a resting position, he doesn’t need to be out the back,” Payne said.

“Todd Pannell will be the perfect rider for him. He’s got great hands, he’s a patient rider and this horse has ma great turn of foot. They’ll be perfect for each other.”

Owned and bred by Sandy Tait, Cherry Tortoni holds a striking resemblance to his former star galloper Tie the Knot. The connection with Payne doesn’t end there, with the champion ex-hoop having ridden Tie the Knot to four of his 13 Group 1 wins.

“They are similar characters,” Payne said.

The scratching of the Danny O’Brien-trained Embolism has left Cherry Tortoni a $1.95 favourite in a race that looks his to lose on paper.

Morphettville trainer Travis Doudle is dropping Casino Seventeen back in distance after finishing sixth behind Royal Mile in the Group 2 Chairman’s Stakes last time out.

Meanwhile the Listed Nitschke Stakes looms as a key form race for the Adelaide Guineas.

The Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained Agreeable is a $4.80 second favourite after she made ground from a long way back behind Incredulous Dream.

The Phillip Stokes stable will be trying to continue its impressive run with Way To Go Paula, who was an eye-catching second in the Nitschke, along with stablemate Highly Discreet and the Shayne Cahill-trained Point Blaze, who is a $34 chance in betting with tab.com.au.

 

PHOTO: racenet.com.au

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