Trainer Roger James is confident that talented mare Silent Achiever is a genuine chance of defending her Ranvet Stakes title in the 2015 edition of the race at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
Silent Achiever defeated Carlton House to win the 2014 edition of the Ranvet Stakes. Photo by: Steve Hart
Silent Achiever returned to racing with a credible fifth in the Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick and she hit the line strongly when fourth behind Contributor in the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) at Warwick Farm on February 28.
The O’Reilly mare has generally produced her best form when she has stepped-up to 2000 metres and beyond and James told Racing Ahead that he is hopeful his star mare can return to winning form in the 2015 Ranvet Stakes this weekend.
“I think she is,” James said when asked if Silent Achiever was close to her peak for the Ranvet Stakes.
“She is getting to her right range of distances and I think she has had a good build-up and her work this morning was very, very good.
“I thought they have been very good runs and as good as you would expect over the distances against top company.
“I think that she was 1.2 lengths from the winner over the mile in the Chipping Norton and that is really about her level at that distance and no doubt the bigger tracks help her better as well.
“She is a realistic winning chance, but the further she goes the better she gets as well.
“We are in it to win it, but it is not going to be desperation stakes if we don’t because we know that when we go further we go better.”
Silent Achiever has been included in the nominations for the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Royal Randwick on April 11, but James has said throughout the O’Reilly’s mares autumn preparation that she is no certainty to contest the $4 million event and is more likely to back-up in the Group 1 The BMW (2400m) at Rosehill Gardens next Saturday.
“I am thinking that we do go to The BMW,” James said.
“We do have the option if she steps out on Saturday and is lucky enough to be impressive than we have three weeks to the Queen Elizabeth.
“I certainly wouldn’t do both and one or another at this stage is an option at this stage.”
Silent Achiever has the chance to join Malt King (1911 and 1912), Limerick (1927 and 1928), Lough Neagh (1936 and 1937), Columnist (1947 and 1948), Sky High (1962 and 1963), Marceau (1978 and 1979), Beau Zam (1988 and 1989), Tie The Knot (2000 and 2001) and Theseo (2009 and 2010) as the only horses to have won the Ranvet Stakes in back-to-back years.
