Almost exactly twelve months after his triumph in Perth’s Group One Railway Stakes, Port Lockroy will line up at Kembla Grange attempting to secure his first win since that career highlight in the $1 million Gong.
Although the five-year-old hasn’t managed a top-three finish in nine outings since, his efforts haven’t been without merit, including a Doncaster run in which he was beaten less than 1-1/2 lengths. Co-trainer Annabel Archibald feels his spring form deserves more leniency than the raw results indicate.
“He has been carrying the same weights as weight-for-age, Group One winners for winning a Perth, Group One handicap,” Archibald said.
“Life has been tough for him since then and this is probably the first time he gets in well at the weights, albeit he is drawn fifteen.”
After lumping 59kg when eighth behind Vivy Air in the Five Diamonds (1800m), Port Lockroy drops sharply to 54kg for the Gong (1600m). Blinkers will also be applied for the first time, a gear change designed to spark improvement.
Despite still racing as an entire, Archibald notes that this wasn’t the original intention, but rather a consequence of timing and circumstance.
“He is very quiet, to the point where we almost forgot to geld him as a three-year-old and that’s why he came back as an entire as a four-year-old,” she said.
“He hadn’t really done enough at that point to warrant remaining a colt, and then of course, he won the Group One.
“We’re just treating him as a racehorse. He is a lovely natured horse. He is like an old gelding.”
Stablemate Tuned, on the other hand, was gelded—and wasted no time showing the benefits, producing a strong first-up win at Rosehill in his debut as a gelding.
He will attempt to go on with it in Saturday’s ABAX Civil Handicap (1200m), with his team hopeful he can progress back toward black-type company.
“Unlike Port Lockroy, who doesn’t really look like a bull, he did,” Archibald said.
“He needed gelding. He was getting too heavy and I’m glad we did it because it was a nice win the other day and he had plenty of improvement to come.
“I’d like to think we’ll get an improved run again at the weekend.”
