Filly Squares up to chase Magic Millions Classic dream

Race experience can be a telling factor in two-year-olds contests, but David Payne isn’t certain it will be enough for Trafalgar Square to upstage highly touted debutant Storm Boy when they clash at Rosehill.

Storm Boy has opened an odds-on favourite for Saturday’s Kia Ora Prague Handicap (1100m) at Rosehill off the back of two barnstorming barrier trials which he has won by a combined margin of more than nine lengths.

Trafalgar Square is being kept safe as a $4.60 chance with bookmakers after her solid sixth in the Golden Gift (1100m) when she was pushed to work forward from a wide gate and only tired late.

With a more economical run on Saturday, Payne is expecting to see sharp improvement but he is wary of the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Storm Boy.

“She should have been in the money at her first run in a strong race,” Payne said.

“She missed the break and he made a lot of use of her and she only compounded the last fifty metres.

“It’s a smaller field this week, I think Gai’s horse will be hard to beat, but she will be competitive.”

Trafalgar Square is by Churchill out of unraced Excellent Art mare Amnesiac and cost $110,000 as a Magic Millions yearling.

Payne anticipates her eventually getting out over further than a sprint trip but says she has enough natural talent to head down a Magic Millions Classic path.

“If she runs well on Saturday she will be nominated for that race,” he said.

“She’s a lovely filly. She’s by Churchill, who is by Galileo, so she should get 1600 metres later on and that’s what I’m looking for.”