Eagle Farm belonged to the Annabel and Rob Archibald stable when the Queensland Winter Carnival officially kicked off on May 3.
Two Group races were on offer that day … both at Group 2 level … and the Archibald yard claimed both of them, staying in favour with punters and bookmakers alike when Depth Of Character saluted at a starting price of $7 when relatively well supported in the Queensland Guineas before Libertad made it a race to race double when taken out the Victory Stakes, flooring most punters at a starting price of $71.
A week later, the Archibald team was back with another Group winner, this time in the Group 3 Gold Coast Guineas in which Bosustow smashed his opposition to the tune of six lengths in a scintillating first-up performance.
The stable had to settle for second place in the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes that day, in which Fawkner Park finished second place behind the very smart Antiono while Magic Halo, their runner in the Group 3 Ken Russell Memorial, finished a well beaten last.
That last result aside, few would argue against the fact that three Group wins from the five Group races contested at the Carnival so far posts a real sign of well-being within the Archibald and marks them as a clear force to be reckoned with as the Carnival now intensifies and moves into its Group 1 phase.
The four Group races scheduled for Doomben on Saturday is headlined by the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 … and that is the Archibald stable’s focus of attention this week with no less than three stable runners earmarked for the first Group 1 contest of the carnival.
After that shock success last time out, Libertad and Jamie Mott are once again back in the mix and you can be sure they will be shown more respect on the betting boards this time around.
Sunshine In Paris, already has two Group 1’s behind her name … in the Surround Stakes and the VRC Classic. She will come into the 10 000 fourth-up, nicely warmed up for her first Queensland assignment.
The daughter of Invader finished a close-up third behind Jimmystar in the Group 1 All Aged Stakes at Randwick a month ago and the five-year-old has been given a vote of confidence by James McDonald who will be in the saddle on Saturday.
The third Archibald trained runner in the 10 000 is Lady Laguna.
Like her stable companion Sunshine In Paris, Lady Laguna is a Group 1 winner having taken out the Canterbury Stakes in March 2024.
The question mark here is the fact that the 2024 Canterbury Stakes was the last time Lady Laguna came back a winner. Weighed against that though is her run of recent results since resuming for her latest preparation with her last three results including a third placing in the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes and another third place finish in the Group 3 Hawksbury Crown.
Mark Zahra takes the ride on Lady Laguna.
So, there is plenty of firepower being brought into battle by the Archibald camp on Saturday.
All three of their runners have been given a visitor’s draw though … Libertad will jump from barrier 12, Sunshine In Paris has to contend with barrier 14 while Lady Laguna is drawn even wider at number 16.
Libertad and Lady Laguna both have both posted wins on heavy going … the track conditions that are likely to be in play on Saturday.
The Archibald stable will also send out Firm Agreement and Mazis in the Group 3 Rough Habit Plate.
Firm Agreement has finished as runner-up in all of his last three starts … being the Group 1 ATC Derby, the Group 2 Tulloch Stakes and the Group 3 Packer Plate, while Mazis is a last start winner, but that was in far lesser Maiden company at the Sunshine Coast.
The stable does not have any runners in both the Group 2 Spirit Of Boom Classic and the Group 3 JRA Chairman’s Handicap.
