James Looking Towards Melbourne Cup With Silent Achiever

Trainer Roger James considers the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday unwinnable for his star mare Silent Achiever but he is confident that the five-year-old can be a contender in the Caulfield Cup (2400m) and Melbourne Cup (3200m) later in the spring.

Silent Achiever

Trainer Roger James is hoping that Silent Achiever will be a leading contender for the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup during the 2013 Spring Racing Carnival. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia

Silent Achiever is set to return to the races for the first time since she finished fourth behind Reliable Man in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth (2000m) at Randwick during the 2013 Autumn Racing Carnival but according to James is no chance to begin her campaign with a win this weekend despite settling in Australia nicely.

“I am pleased to report that she has hit Melbourne running and is feeding as well as she has ever fed before,” James told Racing Ahead on RSN.

“She is not wound up at all; I see this run as unwinnable for her.

“It is looking like being a great field and at her best she still couldn’t foot it with that lot.

“She is not known at this distance at all, she still has a little bit of a winter coat and it will be a run to put down the foundation for future runs during the spring.

“She is ready enough that the run won’t hurt her but when she goes through this she will be more of a force to be reckoned with.”

Silent Achiever has been included in the nominations for both the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate (2040m) but James plans to follow a traditional cups path and skip the Cox Plate with the daughter of O’Reilly as he believes she will be far more competitive in a handicap over the staying trips.

“The main aims for her are the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups,” James said.

“She is going to be placed to advantage in those races weight wise and will be better placed there than in weight-for-age.”

Silent Achiever’s best result in Australia during the autumn was in the Group 1 BMW over 2400 metres, where she finished a narrow second behind Victoria Derby winner Fiveandahalfstar.

About The Author

Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.