Sibaaq out break two-year drought and fulfil Neasham’s Scone Cup dream

Sibaaq out break two-year drought and fulfil Neasham’s Scone Cup dream

Annabel Neasham has wanted to win a Scone Cup since taking out her trainer’s licence, and family links to the region through her partner Rob Archibald have made the desire stronger.

It is why tough miler Sibaaq was set for Friday’s $200,000 feature, which doubles as a Big Dance qualifier.

Ellsberg holds off Sibaaq on the outside in a driving finish to the inaugural running of the Five Diamonds at Rosehill.Credit: Getty

“When I was working for Ciaron [Maher] we won it with Dr Drill in the COVID year when there was no crowd, and I have always loved this race,” Neasham said. “Now with Rob’s family all up there, it has been a race I mark on the calendar every year, and we picked it out for Sibaaq when he came back into work.”

Sibaaq, which hasn’t won in two years,will go into the 1600m feature second up after a runner-up finish in the Golden Mile at Bendigo. Recent Hawkesbury winner Just Folk was third in that race.

“We’ve thought about running him in the Hawkesbury Cup, but I thought if I ran him there, he’d be looking for 2000 by the time we got to Scone,” Neasham said. “He’s just a grinder with good early speed and he is so tough.

“The race looks to set up well for him because there is a bit of speed there, and we know he settles close and will just keep coming.”

Sibaaq qualified for the 2022 Big Dance by winning the Wellington Cup and was a game third to Rustic Steel on the big day. He hasn’t won since that Wellington Cup but has been consistent, running placings around the country to take his earnings past the $1 million mark.

“I think he is a proper group 2, group 3 horse. His form in Sydney 18 months ago was amazing,” Neasham said. “He ran second in the Five Diamonds Prelude then third in the Big Dance and four days later he was runner-up the Five Diamonds itself.

Advertisement

“He has just been finding one better all the time, and we have ridden him wrong a couple of times, where he did way too much early.

“I think he is back to that Five Diamonds form, and that will have in the finish on Friday.”

Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.

Most Viewed in Sport