By Craig Kerry
Trainers Annabel and Rob Archibald are counting on the spacious, typically even Scone track to give Written In Code every chance to add valuable black type to her CV on Saturday in the group 3 Dark Jewel Classic (1400m) before heading to the sales ring.
The five-year-old I Am Invincible mare, a $4.60 Sportsbet favourite for the feature race on Scone’s annual standalone program, is set to go to the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale on May 27-28, making Saturday’s run a likely farewell.
Written In Code (far right) racing to fourth in the Hawkesbury Crown won by City Of Lights on May 3.Credit: Getty Images
Written In Code’s only black type placing was a second in the listed Denise’s Joy Stakes on the same card two years ago, and Rob Archibald hopes she can bow out with an even better result at Scone, where the training operation now has stables.
In-form Scone apprentice Braith Nock has the ride from gate three.
“She’s drawn well, and we’ve been really happy with her, so if she goes there in her best order, then she should be hard to beat,” Archibald said.
Written In Code had her biggest result when finishing her spring campaign with victory at Moonee Valley in October, and she returned with midweek wins on the Kensington track and at Hawkesbury.
She then came with a wide run in the Hawkesbury Crown last start to finish fourth on a day horses struggled to make ground on that section of the wet course.
“She closed off really nicely last time out in the Hawkesbury Crown,” Archibald said. “They were going through one part of the track, and we ended up a little bit wide.
Written in Code (orange silks) wins at Moonee Valley in October.Credit: Getty Images
“Scone is a great track, big track, plenty of room, big, long straight, so every horse usually gets their chance, and we’re happy with it.
“I think there’ll be some give in the track, and she won’t mind that.
“She’s heading towards the Magic Millions mares sale, so this will probably be her last run before then, but we’ll just wait and see from the timing perspective and how she is.
“But it would be a nice way to head into the sales with a race like that under her belt.”
On Friday, the Archibalds have four chances, headed by West Of Africa ($7), in the $200,000 listed Scone Cup (1600m), a Big Dance qualifier. Port Lockroy ($17), Mighty Ulysses ($21) and Redstone Well ($61) were the others. Mighty Ulysses could instead race on Saturday in the Luskin Star Stakes.
West Of Africa was third in the group 2 Ajax Stakes before finishing third, less than a length away, when charging down the outside chasing Big Dance tickets in the Muswellbrook and Tamworth cups. Archibald was hoping for third time lucky.
“West Of Africa has been fantastic all preparation; he’s been running really well and he’s had a couple of chances in those big country cups,” Archibald said. “He will relish Scone; it’s a great track for him. He’s a talented horse and he’s a chance.
“Port Lockroy, if the track’s OK, will be right in it, too. He’s always been racing in big races.”
Group 1 winner Port Lockroy was top weight in a high-quality edition of the cup and finished one and a quarter lengths away in the Doncaster Mile two starts ago.
On Saturday, Archibald hopes group 3 winner Ostraka ($10) can rediscover his best form in the Ortensia Stakes after two unplaced runs.
“He’s probably just slightly gone off the boil, but back to the 1100 might give us a chance to just ride him a little bit quieter, which we’ve been trying to do,” he said. “But he just begins so well, he puts himself in the race and makes it hard to do that.”
