There will be $2.6 million in prizemoney on offer at Randwick on Saturday but even that figure does not get anywhere near the extraordinary amount paid by Coolmore for Chayan at the Inglis Chairman’s Sale in May.
She may have dropped away in her biggest test in the Group 1 Golden Slipper seven weeks earlier but that did not dent the global breeding giant’s confidence to fork out such a figure for the now three-year-old filly who returns to racing in the Group 2 Furious Stakes (1200m).
Training partners Annabel and Rob Archibald – also recent new parents – took the daughter of I Am Invincible for a race-day outing in familiar territory at Rosehill yesterday with Zac Lloyd warming the saddle while James McDonald rode in Melbourne.
“She was really good and we just wanted to bring her out and get rid of that nervous energy,” Annabel said.
“She didn’t need to do a whole lot because physically she is fairly forward anyway, but it is good to get that nervous energy away.”
Archibald conceded that the soft track conditions had contributed to Chayan finishing eighth in the 1200m juvenile feature on March 21, and that the filly had likely already run her ‘grand final’ in her victory in the Group 2 Reisling Stakes over the same distance a fortnight earlier.
“She was on her toes going out for the gallop but Zac said that once she cantered off, she dropped her head and felt really good,” Archibald added as Chayan clocked 38.63 seconds for the last 600m of her work.
“It took a while for him to pull her up but hopefully that is just blowing the cobwebs away and she’ll kick off in the Furious.”
The stable is pleased to have retained James McDonald aboard Chayan after steering the Tony Gollan-trained Pembrey to an impressive victory in the Group 2 Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill.
“Chayan must have given him a good feel in the two (recent) trials and she’s trialled up really well, looks good, is fit but we don’t know her exact path yet.”
Another win over 1200 metres, and then conquering 1400m, is the Archibalds’ plan before deciding on a path towards the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) on October 3.
