Fresh from shattering Octagonal’s 2000-metre track record at Rosehill, emerging import Naval College will chase a second successive stakes win in the Listed Australia Day Cup at Warwick Farm.
The five-year-old ran 1:59.11 seconds when demolishing his January Cup rivals last start, bettering the previous mark of 1:59.99 seconds that had been dually held by multiple Group 1 winners Danewin and Octagonal for more than 30 years.
While Rob Archibald, racing manager for trainer Annabel Neasham, isn’t expecting Naval College to follow a similar trajectory to Octagonal, he does believe the lightly raced galloper can progress to higher-grade races.
“He’s got a long way to go before he can be at the same level as Octagonal, but he’s a lovely horse and the future is bright with him,” Archibald said.
“He has just come back really well this time in.
“He has improved each time he’s stepped out and he’s a lovely, natural stayer who is getting out over a nice distance.”
Naval College is a winner up to 2414-metres in Europe but has only raced beyond 2000-metres once in Australia, finishing runner-up to Fawkner Park over 2400-metres in July.
He extends to that journey again in the Australia Day Cup on Friday and while he has to negotiate a 5-1/2 kilo weight rise under James Mcdonald, Archibald is confident neither the distance nor handicap will pose an issue.
“He has been getting a bit of weight relief with (apprentice) Jett Stanley on board, but he’s shown to us he is capable now of carrying a weight like that, so there are no real concerns,” Archibald said.
“But he is going to have to keep improving as he goes up in grade.
“He’s got the pedigree to suggest (the 2400-metres) shouldn’t be a problem and he has been over it before here and run well, so we expect another big run from him.”
A $1.70 favourite, Naval College will be freshened and aimed towards the Sydney autumn carnival if he performs to expectations.
Neasham will also have Regal Lion in the Australia Day Cup, the horse a $34 betting sites outsider after turning in plain efforts at his past three starts.
“He’s a talented horse, but he decides when he wants to show it and he is going to need to improve,” Archibald said.
