Overpass Winterbottom Dream Derailed by Libertad

A blockbuster finish to the Winterbottom Stakes delivered a first Group 1 victory in Trilogy Racing’s colours, with Libertad etching his name into stud calculations after a thrilling drive up the inside at Ascot. Facing seasoned rivals and $21 in the market, the Russian Revolution entire showed why connections never lost faith. Trained by Annabel and Rob Archibald and ridden perfectly by Jamie Mott, the five-year-old followed fellow Inglis graduate Overpass throughout and was one of only a few within striking range as the speed lifted. With the $2.10 favourite edging toward the centre of the track under Josh Parr, Mott seized the gap closest to the rail and surged late to win narrowly but decisively. “He’s now won Group races at two, three, four and five, which is a pretty rare achievement,” said Trilogy Racing’s founder Jason Stenning. “So many of these colts get retired at three and four, so we don’t see if they have the durability to see if they train on into their fifth and sixth year.” Stenning, along with wife Melanie and co-owners Sean and Kathy Dingwall, also own Blue Gum Farm in Victoria – a breeding operation still reeling from the recent loss of young resident stallion Sejardan. “We had a huge loss in losing Sejardan only a few weeks ago,” Stenning revealed. “This win certainly qualifies Libertad to go to stud, but we’ll just let the dust settle.” The son of Russian Revolution (Snitzel) was bred by Rheinwood Pastoral and Somerset Services, first sold for $40,000 at the 2022 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, then reoffered at the Ready2Race Sale where he made $210,000 to Annabel Neasham Racing. Trilogy later took a stake, and the colt delivered early, winning his first three starts, including the Gr3 Kindergarten Stakes and San Domenico Stakes. After a layoff due to injury, he returned with a Gr2 Victory Stakes win in May and headed west on the back of a strong fourth in the Gr1 VRC Sprint. That Flemington run gave the Archibalds confidence to roll the dice in Perth. “We weren’t in the market, and we knew the favourite would be hard to beat,” said Annabel. “What a great ride by Jamie… The plan was to follow Overpass. I thought Libertad’s run in the Champions Sprint was terrific, and when I saw him Thursday, it was the best he’s ever paraded.” The Winterbottom victory takes Libertad’s record to six wins from 13 starts, lifting earnings and elevating his stallion profile. He becomes the 114th individual Group 1-winning Inglis graduate since 2018, and the 48th sourced for $100,000 or less.