An against-the-odds win in Ascot’s Railway Stakes almost forty years ago is serving as inspiration for Annabel Archibald as she plots a Perth raid with Depth Of Character.
Archibald captured the Group 1 feature last year with Port Lockroy, who scored from barrier seven, but when Depth Of Character drew the outside in the 16-horse field for Saturday’s renewal, she decided to delve deeper into the archives for a confidence boost.
“There was a horse called Marwong, who Simon Marshall won on when he was seventeen years old,” Archibald said.
“It won from (barrier) sixteen in 1988, so I got it up on YouTube.
“I think there have been three winners from that gate. It’s due again.”
Barrier aside, Depth Of Character boasts a similar profile to Port Lockroy a year earlier.
Both arrived at the race off solid performances in the Golden Eagle (1500m) with Depth Of Character coming from the second half of the field to finish fourth behind star mare Autumn Glow.
Prior to that, the four-year-old had little luck in the Silver Eagle (1300m) and talented Sydney jockey Reece Jones has picked up the ride, fresh from his recent Five Diamonds success aboard Vivy Air.
“Reece is riding in really good form at the moment and it’s nice to give him a Group One opportunity,” Archibald said.
“The horse profiles well. He is coming off the back of a really good run in the Golden Eagle.
“Probably a similar run to what we had with Port Lockroy the year before.
“But Depth Of Character is better credentialled. He is a Group Two winner, and he was unlucky not to run second in the Silver Eagle. He never got off the bridle and was uncontested to the line.
“He is going well. He is just going to need luck.”
Archibald is just the second eastern state trainer to win the Railway Stakes (1600m) in the past decade, the race having been dominated by the locals during that period.
Grant and Alana Williams claimed it over four successive years between 2018-21 and have three runners in Saturday’s field along with two of the four emergencies.
