Latest news with #Group2VictoryStakes
News.com.au
03-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Libertad shocks the punters at $71 in Victory Stakes
Three years ago, Annabel Neasham watched on as her superstar galloper Zaaki was beaten as a $1.24 favourite in the Group 1 Doomben Cup. On Saturday at Eagle Farm, the newly married Annabel Archibald was the queen of the roughie as Libertad was a quaddie killer when stunning punters with a $71 blowout in the Group 2 Victory Stakes. Life just keeps getting better for the trainer, who recently married co-trainer Rob Archibald, as she scored both Eagle Farm Group 2 features after earlier winning the Queensland Guineas with Depth Of Character. Few saw Libertad's win coming. But it was hard not to be impressed in his second run back from a year-long injury lay-off and bookies slashed his odds from $101 to $15 for the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 in a fortnight. Jedibeel ran a narrow second for Brad Widdup and Golden Mile was terrific for James Cummings and Godolphin as a $41 chance in third. A real head bobbing finish in the G2 Victory Stakes at Eagle Farm, and it's the outsider Libertad who gets his nose down on the line! 😮 @ANeashamRacing | @BrisRacingClub | @TrilogyRacing1 — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 3, 2025 The first of the Queenslanders home was evergreen warrior Rothfire in fourth, with trainer Rob Heathcote and connections delighted and indicating they would give him a shot at the 10,000. 'On the strength of that run, we would have to run him 10,000,' Heathcote said. 'There was pressure on inside and outside, was the last man standing and he was entitled to tire. 'He is as tough as Buff (Heathcote's former Group 1 star Buffering).' The Victory Stakes left more questions than answers with equal favourite Far Too Easy finishing second last, fancied Hidden Wealth near the tail and Coleman for the Chris Waller stable nowhere near the winner. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! But, for Annabel and Rob Archibald, it was a triumph of epic proportions given Libertad had been to hell and back on the injury front. 'It is great to get him back on track,' Archibald said. 'He's had a couple of setbacks with a septic joint. He is lucky as they can be nasty. 'Then he had a little stress fracture when he came back from that. 'Looking back through his form, he's won some good races and placed behind Joliestar in the Arrowfield so I knew he had the form on the board but I thought he may be a run short. 'I originally had Jamie Mott booked on Lady Laguna and I said this morning 'sorry, she's gone to Hawkesbury instead'. 'I'm sure that when Jamie looked at the (betting) price of Libertad he didn't think he was in with a chance.' Mott now feels sure Libertad can make an impact in Group 1 company in the Doomben 10,000. 'Today he hit the front and got very lost and was like a drunken sailor for a time there until the second horse joined him and kind of headed him,' Mott said. 'To his credit he fought hard and was able to get him on the line. 'With so long off, he should have so much more improvement.'
News.com.au
30-04-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Brisbane trainer Rob Heathcote confident ironhorse Rothfire will be competitive in Victory Stakes at Eagle Farm
It could be Queensland racing's comeback of the year if old warrior Rothfire wins Saturday's $300,000 Group 2 Victory Stakes (1200m) at Eagle Farm but trainer Rob Heathcote will never write off this champion. The seven-year-old gelding will make his first race appearance of 2025 when he competes against a stacked field in the Victory Stakes on the opening day of the Queensland winter carnival. He will go up against the likes of Tony Gollan-trained stars Hidden Wealth and Freedom Rally, Group 1-winning mare Lady Laguna and The Kosciuszko champion Far Too Easy, who will be ridden by top jockey Craig Williams. TAB has posted Hidden Wealth as the early $5 favourite ahead of the Chris Waller-trained Coleman and David McColm's Far Too Easy (both $5.50), with Rothfire paying $18 on Wednesday afternoon. 'It's a quality field but that's to be expected for a $300,000 race,' Heathcote said. 'I've said it a thousand times with my old boy Rothfire, there's no doubting his ability. 'I need a track that's not too firm and he'll be competitive. It's just his nature, he doesn't know how to be non-competitive.' This is likely to be the final winter carnival for Rothfire, the winner of 10 of 32 races, including the 2020 Group 1 JJ Atkins (1400m), given his well-documented battle with career-threatening injuries. It was nearly all over for Rothfire in September 2020 when he suffered a severe sesamoid injury but the ironhorse made a miraculous comeback to racing just 12 months later. Heathcote also has high hopes in the Victory Stakes for his four-year-old mare Abounding, who finished seventh in her last start, the $2m Magic Millions Cup (1400m) on the Gold Coast on January 17, although she has drawn awkwardly in barrier 13 for Saturday. 'She's going super. The 1200m is probably going to be a shade on the sharp side for her but last preparation she ran a cracker first-up,' Heathcote said. 'She won a Listed fillies and mares race first-up over 1200m, the Tatts Classic (in late November), and she was really strong late. 'I'm expecting a good run from her on Saturday. She didn't have a lot of luck in her subsequent two runs – the Nudgee Listed (on December 28) and the Magic Millions Cup down on the Gold Coast – but she's quality plus and she'll run a big race.' Heathcote nominated five-year-old gelding Hidden Wealth, the winner of more than $1.4m in prizemoney, as 'clearly the one to beat' in the Victory Stakes, which Gollan won last year with his stable star Antino. 'You don't just have to beat Tony Gollan, you've got Annabel Neasham, Chris Waller and James Cummings,' Heathcote said of the top trainers looking for an early scalp in the winter carnival. 'You need to have your horses in the best order to be competitive against this lot.' Cosmo Centaurus will run in Sunday's $1m The Archer (1300m) slot race.
