Silent Achiever Springs Valley Surprise

Saturday, 27 October 2012 06:46

Silent Achiever Beats RangirandooNew Zealander Silent Achiever sprang a surprise on both the favourite and her trainer when she took out the Group Two Crystal Mile (1600m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

The four-year-old ran down Rangirangdoo ($3.10 fav) in the closing 100 metres to win by three-quarters of a length with Toorak Handicap winner Solzhenitsyn ($5.50) third.

Ridden by rising young Sydney-based New Zealand star James McDonald, Silent Achiever ($6) came into the race at her second start for the campaign following a fourth at Te Rapa earlier this month.

Trainer Roger James said he had not expected such a run from last season's New Zealand Derby winner.

"It was a little bit of a surprise really," James said.

"I thought she had a few boxes ticked against her today - first time around the Valley, first time at weight-for-age and to be fair the mile is far short of her distance.

Silent Achiever"But she's a class act, always has been, and maybe maturity has topped her right off."

Trailing a hot pace from the start, Silent Achiever outlasted her rivals in the sort of quickly run race James was looking for.

"We hoped that it would be, because staying is her forte and we hoped it would make it into a staying test - and the best stayer won, really," he said.

She will now be set for the Matriarch Stakes at Flemington on November 10 rather than the Emirates Stakes (1600m).

"I think she'll go to the Matriarch Stakes - 2000 metres will suit her much better," James said.

Rob Heathcote, trainer of Solzhenitsyn, said the third-placegetter runner had been unlucky.

"There's no doubt he should have won," Heathcote said. "Nothing went right.

"Maybe by not winning today the handicapper will look after us in the Emirates (Stakes)."

Photos: Fiona Tomlin