By Bren O'Brien ANZ Bloodstock, Sunday 27th August 2023
Annabel Neasham and Chad Schofield recreated their San Domenico Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) success of 12 months ago, with Libertad (Russian Revolution) extending his unbeaten run to three and stamping his spring ambitions with victory at Rosehill yesterday. Schofield and Neasham have enjoyed a terrific association since Sweet Ride (Deep Field) won the San Domenico last year, claiming stakes successes with horses such as Learning To Fly (Justify), Economics (Capitalist) and Libertad, who won the Kindergarten Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) back in April.
Saturday’s race was the Russian Revolution (Snitzel) colt’s first appearance since that day, and his debut three-year-old run lived up to expectations as Schofield gave Libertad the perfect run. Neasham’s colt camped just off the early leaders First Star (Deep Field) and The Instructor (Russian Revolution) and was quickly on the scene after the field straightened for home. The challenge from the back in the field from favoured pair Corniche (Fastnet Rock) and Kandinsky Abstract (Zoustar) never materialised and while runner-up Moravia (Snitzel) and third-placed Butch Cassidy (Written Tycoon) gave determined chase in the final stages, Libertad never looked seriously threatened, winning by 0.7 lengths on the line.
The path onwards for the colt is an obvious one for Neasham, with Libertad set to carry the colours of his managing owners Trilogy Racing in the Run To The Rose (Gr 2, 1200m) and the Golden Rose (Gr 1, 1400m) in the next month. “The exciting thing with him is that he is still pretty woolly in the coat. When I was saddling him up, he had tufts of hair coming out of him. I rang Jason Stenning and told him there would be improvement to come from today. He’s an exciting colt,” Neasham said
“I think he’ll be better again over further. Chad has always had a lot of confidence in this horse. He sat on him like a church mouse up to the 250 metres and I was worried he was leaving it a bit late, but he has a lot of ability and I think the sky is the limit with him.” Purchased by Neasham for $210,000 out of the Nolen Racing draft at last year’s Inglis Ready 2 Race Sale, Libertad was initially a $40,000 Inglis Classic graduate from the draft of his breeders at Rheinwood Pastoral. One of eight stakes winners by Russian Revolution, he is out of Electric Charge (Charge Forward), who has produced three winners, and last year had a colt by Kia Ora Stud’s Prague (Redoute’s Choice). Trilogy upped its interest in the family when it purchased Electric Charge, whose dam Miss Bussell (Danzero) and half-sister Miss Darcey (Hussonet) were both stakes winners, for $360,000 through Inglis Digital in April. She is due foal to Prague again this spring. Russian Revolution, the champion Australian first-season stallion in 2021-22 and second-season stallion in 2022-23, stands at Newgate for $88,000 (inc GST) this spring.