The outsider of the field Navajo Peak shocked everyone other than trainer David Payne when he toughed out a victory in Saturday’s $300,000 Group II Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) at Randwick.
Expected to be a bit player behind his heavily supported former stablemate Montefilia, the 5yo son of Territories (IRE) was brave under Chad Schofield in defeating Major Beel (Savabeel) by a long neck, with Think It Over (So You Think) a half-head back in third.
With his first stakes success, Navajo Peak advances his record to six wins and seven seconds from 18 starts with earnings of $587,500.
“People didn’t see his run the other day. He must’ve been running 14-wide and pulled him to last, so I knew there would be three lengths improvement in him,” Payne said
“We had a bit of a sneaky feeling about him. He only got beat five lengths, and people don’t look at that; they just see two horses.
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Chad Schofield confirmed that Payne thought Navajo Peak was a winning chance.
“Mr Payne gave a good push to me before the race,” Schofield said.
“He just said that he got too far back last start and really got going through the line. So he said to have him on the pace today, and he’ll run well. So I did that.
“He didn’t jump well, but I pressed forward and I was caught wide. But once I got alongside Linderman, it spurred him up. He took off to the front and we really stretched along and I was able to drop in. I saw that Knights Order dropped off around the turn so I had to get on my bike and chase the leader, but it was a good win.”
A homebred for John Thompson, Navajo Peak is the only runner for the winning Authorized mare Ship Rock a granddaughter of Thompson’s Listed Christmas Cup winner and Melbourne Cup and Sydney Cup third, Lahar.
A three-quarter sister-in-blood to Group I winner Pounamu, Ship Rock only had two foals before her death in 2019.
Navajo Peak is the 11th stakes-winner for the former Darley Stud shuttler Territories (Invincible Spirit).
