By Craig Kerry
On a day they are chasing group 1 wins in three races, Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald have one eye on what would be a special victory in the last at Randwick on Saturday, the group 3 PJ Bell Stakes.
The training couple have Lilac in the 1200m race for three-year-old fillies, where she is a $5 Sportsbet chance with Craig Williams to pilot from gate four.
Lilac (right), pictured winning at Caulfield in September, would be a special win for trainer Rob Archibald.Credit: Getty Images
The race is named after the late Jim Bell, a long-serving racing administrator who was Australian Jockey Club chairman from 1983 to 1992.
Neasham said a win in the race would be special for Archibald, who is Bell’s grandson, and she believes Lilac has the form to do it.
“He’s pretty desperate to try and win the race,” Neasham said. “And she’ll be in the market. She ran third behind Lady Shenandoah and Lady Of Camelot in the Light Fingers, and fourth behind them and Lazzura in the Surround, so she doesn’t meet them this time.
“[Favourite] Clean Energy looks a handy horse, but I think she makes her own luck. She’s got brilliant gate speed.”
Trainers Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald.Credit: Getty Images
Sunshine In Paris leads the team’s hopes in the group 1 races when she tackles a crack field in the $3 million TJ Smith Stakes (1200m).
In her only start this preparation, the five-year-old mare was held up for a run before powering to fourth in the Canterbury Stakes.
A draw in barrier 11 of 13 could make her task more difficult on Saturday, but Neasham “couldn’t be happier” with Sunshine In Paris ($9), which had an exhibition gallop with Lilac on the Kensington track last week.
“I’d love to have drawn in, but this has been her target for a long time, so it’s not like there’s another race next week,” Neasham said.
“This is her race, amongst others, and who knows, it might not be the worst.
“She drew wide first up as well, but Chad [Schofield] gave her a peach of a ride. He got her into a great spot, so it’s all going to come down to, I suppose, luck in running, but if she can get that, she’s good enough to win the race.
Tommy Berry gives a roar as Sunshine In Paris takes out the Sheraco Stakes.Credit: Getty Images
“We saw her obviously win the Champions Sprint last preparation, so I suppose, just hope it’s a fair track and she can get a little bit of luck, and she’ll be there fighting out the finish. She’s never run a bad race.”
She said the All Aged Stakes was a likely next target for Sunshine In Paris.
Neasham has Railway Stakes winner Port Lockroy ($35) in the Doncaster Mile. He was two and a third lengths off the three-way finish in the George Ryder Stakes first up two weeks ago and will likely jump from gate 10 on Saturday.
“It’s a nice draw for him, he’s a sort of sit midfield type of horse, so it should give Craig [Williams] options, and 53.5kg is nice,” she said.
“He was first up in the George Ryder against very good, fit horses, and there was nowhere to hide really, so we thought we’d just kick him off there.
“He’d only had the one official trial, so he’s obviously going to have taken natural improvement out of the back end of that, and he’s got to be an each-way hope in that race.
“He’s a group 1 winner over a mile, he looks great, he’s got a bit of residual fitness held over from that campaign in Perth.
“It’s just often one of those races you run it 10 times, you get 10 different results, so we’ve got a jockey on that’s won it before. He knows how to win these big races.”
Firm Agreement ($23) gives the stable a live chance in the $2 million Australian Derby (2400m) from gate six, after his mammoth run from back in the field on Tuesday to go down by a short half-head in the Tulloch Stakes (2000m).
Neasham wasn’t surprised by the “super run” on a heavy track after opting to miss the Rosehill Guineas and wait for the group 2 Tulloch, following a nine-length seventh in the Randwick Guineas.
“We could see the forecast might get a bit wet, and he trialled very well on a heavy surface, so I was actually quite confident he was going to bounce back,” she said.
“I didn’t expect him to be so detached off the back of the field – he certainly set himself a big task – but he rattled home, and in some ways, that was the perfect run to back up off.
“He didn’t have a tough run, barely went around a horse, and he’s pulled up well. As soon as he got home his head was in the feed bin – you wouldn’t know he’s had a race.”
