News

Payne is the Master Of Design

12th Sep 2011

Thoroughbred News - Glenn Moore - Saturday, 10 September 2011

Well-bred entire Master Of Design went some way to living up to his early potential with an impressive victory in the $200,000 Group Two Sebring Sprint (1300m) at Rosehill on Saturday.

The son of Arrowfield's Redoute’s Choice, Master Of Design spent his early career with champion trainer Lee Freedman after being purchased for $2.1m at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sales but since that high things haven’t gone so well.

After reasonable efforts in restricted grade for Freedman, Master Of Design failed in group company and was sent to Perth for a stint but after only have one start in six months news owners picked him up and sent him to David Payne.

The move seems to have worked with two wins and a group two victory to his name from only three starts with the Rosehill horseman.

Ridden by Christian Reith on Saturday, Master Of Design grabbed an easy early lead after jumping well and from the front Reith dictated the tempo to his liking.

With little weight and even less to lose on a problematic galloper who is now a very lightly raced six-year-old, Reith got rolling at the 600m and with a break on the field rounding the turn, he kicked for home at the top of the straight.

Top quality galloper came out of the pack to chase him down but Master Of Design packed too many punches to score an impressive victory which, with his past considered, was a brilliant training effort by Payne.

The margin was a half neck to rising star Torio’s Quest (Boss) with a neck to Fast Clip (Munce) in third place. The overall time was 1.16.79 and the last 600m was covered in 34.54.

“(He did everything right) but tomorrow we will have to get everything right again, he is a good horse but he has a lot of problems,” Payne said. “Today we brought him in top condition, he was sound.

“If he wins a group one I hope I get a share in him because I will be able to retire.”

“We had to utilise the weight, I knew if we tried to ride a pretty race against these good horses we couldn’t beat them so I studied the videos during the week and sweated my butt off and it was worth it,” Reith said.

“Once I found the lead so easy he relaxed, I really increased the tempo from the 600m with no weight on his back and they were never going to catch him.

“I think (he can go to the next level), he gives you a lovely feel when you ride him, he is a lovely strong horse, if he can just keep those problems in tact he will go places.”

Master Of Design is out of Urger To Merge, who is a sister of Tracy’s Element, the dam of Typhoon Tracy. He is now owned by Three Blondes (L G Murrell), Phelan Rod (J B Phelan), Stumer Racing (J D Stumer), P Scarpino, T Baldassarro, M Pedley, M T Harvey, T Legudi, R Salter & M Virgo and has extended his record to 12 starts for six wins and three placings.

The win also contributed to his sire's growing record being the 77th stakeswinner for Redoute's Choice.