New Zealand mare Silent Achiever will put an end-of-year European cameo on the line in the Group One BMW at Rosehill on Saturday.
Silent Achiever is at double-figure odds to end a 12-month run of outs and defend her BMW crown in a race that could decide if she competes overseas before being retired to stud.
“If she is going to the northern hemisphere to be mated you would like to think we might be able to include a small European campaign as a swansong,” James said.
“But to be realistic she’s got to hold her hand up on Saturday to consider it.”
Silent Achiever will back up after finishing fourth to Contributer in last week’s Ranvet Stakes, the weight-for-age lead-up she won last year.
James said the tempo of the Ranvet didn’t help Silent Achiever and he expected jockey Kerrin McEvoy to ride the mare like a genuine stayer in the BMW.
“I’m not saying it was a bad ride at all in the Ranvet but if it was a different ride she might have finished a little bit closer,” James said.
The trainer expects back-to-back races to work in Silent Achiever’s favour.
“She will be hard, seasoned and ready for the mile and a half,” he said.
English stayer Red Cadeaux will miss the race to be saved for the $1.6 million Sydney Cup at Randwick on April 11.
Red Cadeaux has been in Sydney for a week after contesting the Australian Cup and the decision to bypass a lead-up run to the Sydney Cup was made close to acceptance time on Wednesday.
“We felt he would be in a better state for the Sydney Cup if we gave him some space between runs and didn’t start him on Saturday,” travelling foreman Robin Trevor-Jones said.
The Anthony Cummings-trained Fiveandahalfstar was also missing from the 12 acceptors with the 2013 winner developing a cough after trackwork on Tuesday.
Cummings said he was still hopeful of getting Fiveandahalfstar right for the $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Godolphin’s Hartnell opened favourite in revised BMW markets on Wednesday but was quickly deposed from that position by To The World, the horse rated the best of four Japanese stayers in Sydney for the autumn carnival.
Ranvet placegetter Lucia Valentina is on the third line of betting with bookmakers rating her a better chance than stablemate and last year’s Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist who is an $11 chance.
