Payne rode into the history books when she won the Melbourne Cup on Prince Of Penzance at the beginning on the month but the next day she was back in the saddle looking towards the Ballarat Cup with another Darren Weir-trained stayer, Akzar.

The nine-year-old couldn't win the Kyneton Cup on November 4, despite hitting the front in the straight and he ended up running fourth. But it was a good lead-in for the ultimate goal of the Ballarat Cup, which Payne had suggested before the race.

"I have always wanted to win the Ballarat Cup and I think this horse is the right horse," Payne said the day after her Melbourne Cup success when she was heading to Kyneton."Darren [Weir] asked me to ride him in this race and the Ballarat Cup. He will run a great race [in the Kyneton Cup] but I'm excited to be riding him at Ballarat because this race will top him off for it."

Akzar should improve from his Kyneton Cup effort and from the perfect draw of gate five, he will get the right run to see off the visitors on his patch. He should race close to the speed and give a good kick in the straight. He has had good early support to be $8.50 second favourite behind Ungrateful Ellen at $5.50.

The favourite is a four-year-old mare, which was runner-up to Winx in the Queensland Oaks and gets back to the 2200 metres for the first since that effort in May. She has built towards a peak for this race and was fourth in the Matriarch Stakes on the final day of the Flemington and is another that will race closer to the speed.

Buffering to test best in west

Can Buffering once again conquer the West Australians on their home turf in the Winterbottom Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

The evergreen sprinter already has a Winterbottom on his resume from 2013 and wasn't far off in the Darley Classic last time, which is a class above what he faces at Ascot. The market suggests Buffering and Fast 'N' Rocking should have the locals covered.

Fast 'N' Rocking is coming off running fourth in the Manikato Stakes behind Chautauqua. David Hayes and Tom Dabernig opted to take him straight to Perth rather than pressing his claims further during the Melbourne carnival.

While those two are the most well known to punters in the east, the Perth sprinting ranks are, as ever, full of talent. Three-year-olds Lucky Street and Silverstream will look to announce themselves at group 1 level.

Lucky Street was the champion two-year-old in Perth last season but blew the start on his return when unplaced. If he had won that day, a trip to Melbourne for the Coolmore Stud Stakes was on the cards, such is trainer Trevor Andrews' opinion of the colt.

He stayed in Perth and was narrowly beaten by Silverstream second-up at 1000m before being too good for the older horses  over the Winterbottom trip, at which he is unbeaten.

He has won five from his seven appearances and with 53.5 kilograms Lucky Street should be on Buffering's outside and will give him a good test.  At $8, Lucky Street is the best of the West Australians but it would be foolhardy to count out Magnifisio and Watermans Bay, which saw off the raiders last year, running the quinella.

Delicacy eyes home-town group 1

As Australian three-year-old filly of the year, Delicacy tipped out Winx and First Seal last season and the dual-state Oaks and Derby winner is set to win her first home-town group 1 in the Railway Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

She will have to overcome a wide draw in barrier 15 but she is fresh, being second up, and appears attractively weighted with 54kg. Delicacy sat closer in her return when third to Railway rival Black Heart Bart in the Lee Steere Stakes a couple of weeks ago.

It is key that Perth's top jockey William Pike has chosen to ride her over Real Love, which is also owned by Bob Peters. The owner questioned if Pike had made the right decision early in the week but Real Love has a more than capable replacement in Damien Oliver.

Real Love had a Melbourne campaign in the autumn, where she struggled, but she returned to Perth winning the Asian Beau on October 31 and is unbeaten second up.

However Delicacy has a touch of class about her and stepping out to mile will suit her. She is likely to be back midfield but will get her chance in a race, which will be run at high tempo set up by the free-running Hazzabeel.

It will allow Delicacy to find her feet and come with a late charge as she did in her Oaks and Derby wins at Ascot and in the Australasian Oaks and South Derby in Adelaide.