David Payne sets Queen on first of two G1 missions

Rag Queen might not be in the same class as David Payne’s most recent Spring Champion Stakes winner Montefilia, but a competitive showing will give her an opportunity to do something her former stablemate could not.

Montefilia downed subsequent Rosehill Guineas winner Lion’s Roar to claim the 2020 renewal of the Randwick feature before tackling the VRC Oaks in Melbourne where she finished third.

Payne also has his sights on the Victorian classic with Rag Queen and provided she runs well in Saturday’s Group 1 race, the filly will be given her chance to better Montefilia’s result in the blue riband.

“Her mission is the Oaks, so we’ll see how she goes on Saturday then we’ll head to the Oaks with her,” Payne said.

“All of her runs have been good, but I have always thought that the further we go, the better she is going to be.”

A $15,000 buy, Rag Queen is the cheapest horse in the Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) field and has already returned more than 17 times her purchase price in prizemoney.

Placed in the Inglis Millennium (1100m) at two, she has improved with each run this campaign, putting the writing on the wall with a closing fourth to Saturday’s rival El Castello in the Gloaming Stakes (1800m) last start.

Payne has made a gear change for the weekend, fitting her with blinkers on the advice of in-form jockey Chad Schofield, who is looking for his third major in the space of a month having claimed the Epsom Handicap-King Charles III Stakes double aboard Ceolwulf.

“It’s the same sort of field as the Gloaming and we have put blinkers on it, that might sharpen her up a bit,” Payne said.

“Chad said they might help her focus because she seemed to lose it around the 800 metres last start and then she took off again.”

Eleven of the past 20 Spring Champion Stakes winners have contested the Gloaming Stakes in the lead-up and seven of Saturday’s runners carry that formline.

Rag Queen is one of four fillies in the field as they look to build on their handy recent record with Yankee Rose (2016), Maid Of Heaven (2018) and Montefilia (2020) all upstaging the boys in the past decade.