Annabel and Rob Archibald have been given a brief to help Sweynesday get back to the form that led him to place at Group 1 level in New Zealand, and after two runs for the stable, they’re satisfied the sprinter is on his way.
The six-year-old returns from a Melbourne sojourn for Saturday’s $1 million The Hunter (1300m) at Newcastle and Rob Archibald has seen plenty of merit in his southern state efforts.
Third behind Jigsaw and Arkansaw Kid in the Railway Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie in January, the Group 3 winner joined the Archibalds this season, resuming with a fifth in the Group 2 Caulfield Sprint (1000m) last month before a fast-finishing second in the Group 3 Rising Fast Stakes (1200m) at Flemington.
Rob Archibald is hoping Sweynesday can go one better from an ideal draw in barrier six on Saturday.
“He was Group One placed before we got him, so he was very well credentialled,” Archibald said.
“Our job was to get him back to that level. I feel like we’re getting somewhere near that.
“His first two runs were good. First-up at Caulfield against the pattern, he closed off really well. At Flemington, he was excellent. He got a long way back and had to make a big run, and he was narrowly denied.
“He’s building well. I’m not sure how many more runs he has this ‘prep’, whether this pulls him up. But he’s certainly a really nice horse that I think can win some nice races.”
Alysha Collett will partner Sweynesday in The Hunter, which will bring together an array of different form lines.
The gelding is one of six runners to have had their most recent start in Victoria, while other fancied contenders such as General Salute, King Of Roseau, Infancy and Accredited are all coming through feature Sydney sprints.
Sweynesday will be chasing his first success in Australia, and Archibald is optimistic the horse has plenty to offer given he’s raced just 14 times for six wins.
“I suppose that’s the beauty of being lightly raced, there’s not too much wear and tear on the body,” he said.
“He’s still a fresh horse, very easy to train, and I really like him. He looks to get a lovely run on Saturday.
“He’s going there in quite good form, different form lines to a lot of the other horses because he’s coming out of Melbourne. But I can’t fault him. He’s going well.”
Top weight Pericles is an early scratching from The Hunter and will instead contest the C F Orr Stakes (1400m) at Sandown, paving the way for first emergency She’s An Artist to take her place in the Newcastle feature.
