2025 Denise's Joy Stakes: David Payne saddles up Shohisha
Shohisha, a winner of two of her five starts, went for a short break after finishing fifth in the Group 2 Light Fingers Stakes back in February.
It was a race that won by boom filly Lady Shenandoah with 2024 Golden Slipper winner Lady Of Camelot and subsequent stakes winners Lilac and Lazzura all finishing around her.
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'I thought why are we chasing our tail with those top fillies, we can't beat them,' Payne said.
'So we thought we'd rather give her a spell and give her a crack out of season.
'Her form looks good now.
'If she shapes up, we can have a look at those Group races for fillies up in Queensland.'
Shohisha is set to be one of the leading chances in the Denise's Joy with Tom Sherry booked to ride.
Payne has given her a tick off trial and the Rosehill conditioner expects it will have Shohisha ready to fire first-up from a break.
'She could have won that tick over trial if she had to,' Payne said.
'I was very happy with that trial so she is going really well.'
Payne will have runners on both cards of the two-day carnival with unraced gelding Cosmonaut set to debut in the $200,000 Inglis Challenge (1100m) on Friday.
Cosmonaut is a son of Cosmic Force and was a modest $17,000 purchase at last year's Inglis HTBA Yearling Sale.
He has been given three trials over two preparation to tune up for his first start, finishing 4th in his most recent hit out over 1050m at Rosehill Gardens.
'It's good money, I don't know if he is good enough for it at this stage but you have to take a chance,' Payne said.
'We will see how he goes and assess him afterwards.
'It wasn't a bad trial. I don't think it's the hardest field so we will run him there and see how he goes.'
Originally published as Trainer David Payne eager to avoid the top guns with promising filly Shohisha in the Denise's Joy Stakes
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