It was a race that lived up to all the hype - the $1.5 million Winterbottom Stakes of 2025 provided the two horse war we were all hoping to see!
But it wasn't the reigning WA Horse Of The Year Joker's Grin (Maschino) who ultimately denied Bjorn Baker’s champ Overpass (Vancouver) a historic G1 three peat in the great race - it was Annabel and Rob Archibald's five year old stallion Libertad!
Unfancied in betting, the son of Russian Revolution ran the race of his life, going toe to toe with Overpass over the last 100m and emerging triumphant in a fantastic display of character and class.
Libertad and Jamie Mott were always ideally positioned after the entire began well from his inside draw. Josh Parr and Overpass sprang brilliantly and expended no energy going straight to the lead with Oscars Fortune (Rich Enuff) and Chris Parnham settling in second, and Libertad box seating in third.
100/1 shot Repossession (Sessions) and Brad Parnham were up outside him in fourth, while second favourite Jokers Grin under Paddy Carbery and Benedetta (Hellbent) piloted by Dan Stackhouse tucked in behind them as the field got into stride.
Parr controlled the tempo on Overpass unchallenged, keeping it nice and steady.
Rey Magnerio (Magnus) had the services of William Pike and had been the subject of good market support. He was following Benedetta's tail.
Rope Them In (Playing God) and Sean Mc Gruddy brought up the rear alongside Sean O'Donnell aboard the Placid Ark winner, three year old filly Luana Miss (Bivouac).
As the Winterbottom field raced down the river side, Overpass was out by a length and travelling sweetly. Oscars Fortune stalked him and Libertad was going strongly on the rail.
At the 600m Carbery on The Joker was itching to make a move but the big boy was stuck inside Benedetta with nowhere to go!
Meanwhile Rope Them In was being sooled around the field and Luana Miss tried to go with him. Pike speared Rey Magnerio towards the inside in search of one of his famous rail-hugging runs.
Into the straight they flew! Parr took the handbrake off and Overpass shot away, rolling to the centre of the track in his customary style as he reached full speed. The crowd roared. Oscars was dropping away, there was no Joker on the scene, history beckoned the great son of Vancouver!
But Libertad had come through on the inside, and he wouldn’t be shaken off.
Overpass was all out now but he just kept kicking - and Libertad was matching him with every stride.
What a fight it was. What a great finish! They hit the line and it was going to be a bob of the head that decided the Winterbottom victor.
After a breathless few moments number 6 went in the frame.
Libertad by a short half head over the gallant Overpass, with Rey Magnerio motoring up the rail to finish half a length off them in third.
An eastern states trifecta, a second G1 win in the west for trainers Annabel and Rob Archibald, and for hard-working heavyweight jockey Jamie Mott, his very first ride in WA resulted in glory at the highest level.
Libertad's dark coat gleamed in the sun of a perfect late spring day in Perth as Jamie brought him back to scale to the applause of an enormous crowd - applause for Overpass as well, who had gone so very,very close to making Australian turf history.
“ It's a huge, huge thrill - we weren't in the market and we knew the favourite would be really tough to beat” said a delighted Annabel after the race.
“What a great ride by Jamie! We got a really nice draw, and the plan was always just to try and follow Overpass with the knowledge that he was going to be very hard to run down.
I thought his (Libertad’s) run in the Champions Sprint was terrific, and when I got here on Thursday just seeing him I was happy…this is the best he's ever paraded, he's tightened up a bit and now - he's won a G2 and a couple of G3s, but we were desperate to get a G1 with him as he's still an entire.
"I'm so happy for Trilogy and there's plenty of decent owners in him - a couple of them made the trip over, so we’ll be having a big one tonight!
"You have to keep the work up to him a bit, because he's quite a big, gross horse so he's had a couple of gallops. He hasn't done much racing this way either, so it was good to get him here a bit earlier and give him a few good gallops.
"It was a big prize money day at Caulfield today and I'm just so happy Jamie was happy to give Caulfield up to come over here.
It’s been a fantastic job by the whole team, he's one of the stable favourites and he's now a G1 winner!”
For Jamie Mott this was a sweet and well earned reward for all the blood, sweat and tears that are part of the life of a heavyweight jockey.
“ He had to go to a new level today, and he was able to do that” said the happy hoop.
“ Overpass was fantastic in defeat. He probably didn't go as quickly as I'd hoped, I sat on his back and he (Libertad) was quite keen for the first 400.
I was a little concerned because of that….that he mightn't have the finish in him, but when I was able to join Overpass - for my horse to fight him off like he did, I thought it was a huge performance.”
Rope Them In (Playing God) was the first local home in fourth place - the same position he filled 12 months ago.
What of Jokers Grin? He was right beside Rope Them In, just missing the fourth place.
Doubtless the Joker would have appreciated a more pace on, ditto Benedetta - and he needed to get going earlier - but that's the price backmarkers can pay at Ascot on its leaderish days.
Particularly when you've got horses the quality of Overpass and Libertad dictating terms up front!
The lightly raced Libertad burst through the $1.5million prizemoney mark with his Winterbottom heroics.
The five year old stallion advances his record to 5 wins and 2 placings from 17 starts for $1,695,590 in earnings to be exact!
And he's now got a viable stud career in his sights.
The horse has always shown glimpses of G1 ability in a career which has had a far from straightforward trajectory.
The son of Russian Revolution was a $210,000 Inglis Ready 2 Race purchase for Annabel Neasham Racing Pty Ltd from the Nolen Racing draft, and he was a successful pinhook having been sourced from Inglis Classic for $40,000 from the Rheinwood Pastoral draft.
Libertad races for a big syndicate headed by Trilogy Racing - the racing and breeding partnership of Jason Stenning and Sean Dingwall who own Blue Gum Farm - and carries their distinctive pale colours.
Bred by Rheinwood in partnership, Libertad is the third winner from Electric Charge, a winning half sister (by the increasingly important broodmare sire Charge Forward) to G3 winner Miss Darcey from stakes winner Miss Bussell by Danzero.
The colt's career began brilliantly with wins in the G2 Kindergarten Stakes at two and G3 San Domenico Stakes at three, at which point he was undefeated from three starts and looking like he could be anything!
At three Libertad also ran a great third to future topliner Joliestar in the G2 Arrowfield Sprint.
Then things began to go awry. Lost form, a battle against serious septic infection, a stress fracture - nothing was going right and the stallion was away from the track for 12 months.
But Annabel and Rob Archibald have patiently brought their charge through the dark times. They were rewarded in May when Libertad posted a stirring G2 win in the Victory Stakes at Eagle Farm - and now the tale of redemption is complete!
Libertad is the best of four winners from five to race for his dam, the Charge Forward mare Electric Charge.
The mare foaled a colt by young sire Prague in 2022, and a 2023 filly by him which the Neasham/Archibald team along with William Johnson Bloodstock paid $180,000 for at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale.
Named Electric Bliss she is yet to trial.
Trilogy came out of a hotly contested bidding war on top when they purchased Electric Charge for $360,000 from Rheinwood Pastoral at the 2023 Inglis April (Late) Online Sale in foal to the dual G3 winning Prague (Redoute's Choice).
Unfortunately, the mare slipped her Ozzmosis foal this season.
Libertad is one of thirteen stakes winners and the second G1 winner to date for Newgate Stud Farm's uber-classy Snitzel son Russian Revolution, a dual G1 winning speedster possessed of truly elite acceleration from the incredible sire-making Ciboulette / Fanfreluche family (Encosta De Lago, Flying Spur, etc etc)
Libertad is bred
Danehill 4m x 4m
He descends from the G1 winning Sir Tristram daughter Lurestina who has been a prolific source of stakes winners. Lurestina was exported to Japan.
Hers is a branch of family 13e which goes back to Eryholme, the ancestress of breedshaper Fairway who is a prominent genetic force in both Charge Forward and Danzero - giving Libertad's dam a very high concentration of this speedy blood.
Fairway's half brother Pharos became the great grandsire of Northern Dancer - thus Russian Revolution's descent from his great daughter Ciboulette is particularly interesting here.
Libertad possesses sex balanced linebreeding to In Reality, Bletchingly, Sir Ivor and Mr Prospector for an abundance of speed! His pedigree also boasts the almost obligatory sprinter's duplication of relatives Danzig and Bletchingly.
It's a genuine stallion's pedigree in waiting and now he's got the big G1 Sprint victory to back it up!
Russian Revolution stands at Newgate Stud Farm on a fee of $33,000
