A Derby win in New Zealand with Silent Achiever hasn’t convinced Cambridge trainer Roger James to take on the colts and geldings in Sydney this autumn.
On Saturday, Silent Achiever became the first filly since 1993 to win the New Zealand Derby (2400m), coping admirably with a slow Ellerslie track to draw away by two and a half lengths in the last 250m.
With Mosheen also notching one up for the fillies over the colts and geldings in the Australian Guineas James might be forgiven for trying to take on the males.
James, who has now won five New Zealand Derbies, says a Sydney trip is now “a probability” but a Derby tilt is unlikely.
“At this stage she’ll go for the Storm Queen Stakes and the AJC Oaks,” James said.
“The spacing of the races works better for me, and I don’t need to take on the colts now.”
James has taken all his Derby winners to Australia for autumn campaigns, with varying success.
Tidal Light, who he trained in partnership with Jim Gibbs, won a Canterbury Guineas before being injured, while Zonda won an Alister Clark Stakes and was placed in an Australian Guineas before injury struck him.
Hades also placed in the Australian Guineas, while Roysyn was unlucky to run into the generation of Octagonal and Saintly but still distinguished himself by running just outside the placings.
“I’ve always said Zonda was the benchmark, but she’s up there now,” he said.
James, who became emotional after the Derby due to concern whether he’d put enough work into her once the track became wet, also knows what it takes to win the Storm Queen Stakes, having won it with Sixty Seconds in 2002.
“This is a very special filly,” he said. “I haven’t pushed the button on her.”