Warwick Farm preview: Title fire still burns bright for Anna Roper
Roper missed the first three months of the current season due to a quad injury that required surgery and then getting kicked by a horse which extended her time off.
'The apprentice premiership was meant to be the target but loosing that much time made it a bit of an issue but at the same time, you never what what's going to happen in this job,' said Roper.
'In the end, it was a case of just getting on with it and do the best I can for the season. Hopefully without any more injuries.
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'It's not impossible. If I can keep riding consistently until the end of the season.
'Obviously Braith (Nock) has a bit of a lead on us but I will give it my best.'
One of Roper's leading chances at Warwick Farm is Livin' Thing in the Benchmark 64 Handicap (1100m).
The John O'Shea and Tom Charlton-trained gelding resumed with a handy win on a heavy track at Kembla from Zaragoza who franked the form with a win at the same course last weekend.
'I really have a lot of time for this horse,' Roper said.
'He gave me a very nice feel at Kembla.
From the top of the straight, I always thought he would go straight past them but he had a bit of a think about things. Not because he wasn't genuine but rather he was green and didn't know what to do.
'He still managed to win on raw ability.
'He will learn a lot from that run and I think he's a nice horse going forward once he puts it together a bit better.
'I'm excited to be back on board and up to metro grade. Seeing if he is going to be competitive against the better horses.'
Roper also combines with O'Shea and Charlton when Natural Deduction contests the Benchmark 72 Handicap (1600m).
The gelding was doing his best work late when a three length seventh behind Seafall over this same track and distance on May 7.
'It was a really good run,' she said.
'Obviously he was first-up over the mile and he was very fresh and got quite keen in the run.
'To finish off the way he did, I was impressed.
'Second-up with that edge off him, he might relax better. He's drawn a better barrier so hopefully I can have him closer in the run.
'His is two from two second-up and should be a good chance. My only concern is the heavy track which he hasn't been tried on.'
Roper rode Junebug to victory at Wyong before a third behind stablemate Asgoodassobergets on Gosford Cup Day.
The mare drops back to a Benchmark 72 Handicap (2110m).
'She is a great little horse. The wet track is the most important thing for her,' said Roper.
'She is very honest and loves her job. As long as she gets a smooth run, she is easy to ride.
'It was a very good run last start especially as she had to jump from the outside gate and do all the bullocking work to get across to the front. It was a huge effort.
'I really like her in this field, especially come back to midweek grade.'
Roper also rides Fear No Evil for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and Lady Boss for Ciaron Maher.
■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Every time trainer Gratz Vella has raised the bar, Good Prize has responded with an even better performance.
Good Prize scored a couple of nice wins at Queanbeyan over 1200m and 1460m earlier this preparation, but since stepping up to 1600m, the gelding has been even more impressive.
'He has really found his best form. I haven't done anything different with him on the track, I think he has just matured now,' said Vella.
'Once I got him over a bit longer distance has helped.
'I have a little mate with him – a goat. Ever since I put them together, that's when the results started to come.'
It started with a Benchmark 65 on his home track at Canberra on April 2 with a near three length win from The Right Rein and the pair returned 16 days later in a Benchmark 84 with Good Prize beating his rival by over two lengths.
Vella asked the gelding to step up to provincial company and set him for a Benchmark 68 at Kembla where he again pout a margin on his rivals, this time a two-and-a-half length win from Strawberry Impact.
'After the second Canberra win, I thought he might need two or three weeks to get over the run because he had going straight to Open company and it wasn't a bad field,' he said.
'He recovered so quickly though. He was eating well, his attitude was still good and he actually come on from the run.
'I was quite happy to go to Kembla and take Coriah (Keatings) to claim three kilos. I thought he was a big chance.
'I thought he was in a bit of trouble there at one stage but once he got his action flowing, he just left them for dead.
'I think he will be better again over 2000 metres but at the moment, we will stick with the 1600 metres where he has been doing a good job.'
Vella is happy to give the four-year-old a shot at midweek company in the Drinkwise Mile Benchmark 72 where he has barrier 3.
'I think he's a very good chance again,' he said.
'He hasn't gone backwards since Kembla. He's still a very happy horse.
'He has a nice barrier and Coriah rides him again.'
Good Prize opened $7 with TAB Fixed Odds and firmed into $5.50 behind Sounds Unusual at $4.20 and Naval Commission at $5.
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