The decision by Annabel and Rob Archibald to send Duke Atreides to Melbourne in search of firmer footing has paid off, with the colt claiming his maiden victory at Sandown on Wednesday.
Competing in the Quayclean Plate (1200m), Duke Atreides relished the upgrade from a soft 5 to a good 4 track, cruising to a 1-¾ length win under Ethan Brown. He defeated $2.50 favourite Algorithmic, while Fastosa ($3.50) finished another three-quarters of a length back in third.
Kia Ora co-owned Duke Atreides was too good in R2 at Sandown, taking out the win for @ANeashamRacing.
Purchased at @mmsnippets, it’s a good start to the season for this 3YO colt, co-owned with @TFI_Racehorses and his trainers. pic.twitter.com/way5o8ug5u
Trainer Annabel Archibald suggested that Duke Atreides could now be aimed at the Group 3 H D F McNeil Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield later this month.
“Ethan says he’s got quite a bit of quality and will stretch out in trip,” Archibald said.
“He’s a colt and he’s going to have to keep progressing, which I think he will.
“There is plenty of sharpness in the family, so I’ll see what Ethan thinks, but he may well stretch over a little further.”
Future options could include the Caulfield Guineas (1600m), which forms part of the Caulfield Cup Carnival in October.
“He’ll probably progress to a race like the McNeil and then he might be ready to step up in trip and maybe progress to a Guineas, if not we’ll keep him at the sprint trips,” Archibald added.
“It was good to see him do that today as he has always shown plenty in his work and trials at home.”
Duke Atreides is a half-brother to Best Of Bordeaux, who was runner-up in the 2022 Golden Slipper and a multiple Group 2 winner on rain-affected ground.
“He’s always been a horse that has shown plenty, but we were trying to dodge the wet tracks up in Sydney,” Archibald explained.
“We got him down here, but I did say to Ethan that he was a bit green when he hit the front, wobbling about at Newcastle.”
Brown agreed the move to Melbourne suited the colt.
“He’s got a lot of race smarts, and once he found the fence, he switched off beautifully and had a very easy time,” he said.
“I was impressed with the way he quickened up and he was strong through the line.
“He’s got a bit of quality.”
Ready to bet on races like the McNeil Stakes, Caulfield Guineas or Golden Slipper? You can find the most trusted Australian betting sites here.