Port Lockroy has built upon his eye catching Golden Eagle performance with a maiden Group 1 victory in the Railway Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.
Three weeks after a closing sixth in the $10million Golden Eagle at Rosehill on November 2, Port Lockroy was a class above in WA’s feature Group 1 mile event, the Railway Stakes (1600m) at Ascot.
“I’m so excited for the owners in the horse, he’s been so unlucky almost his whole career, through barriers or whatever it may be,” co-trainer Rob Archibald said.
“It’s a huge thrill. I’m so lucky to be in this position and Annabel (Neasham) has always had so much faith in this horse and it was nice to see a really good ride and him deliver on a big stage.”
Port Lockroy has caught the eye on several occasions so far this spring, settling back and working home strongly.
A step up to the mile and a more positive ride from jockey Clint Johnston-Porter proved to be a recipe for success.
“I thought he got him into a lovely spot,” Archibald said.
“We said to the jockey just try to begin well because he’s a casual customer and he can get a bit back in his races and fly home.
“He just couldn’t have been any better, he pushed forward got outside leader and relaxed beautifully.
“CJ couldn’t have done any more – it was a super ride.”
Port Lockroy is the first eastern state winner of the Railway Stakes since the Chris Waller-trained Good Project won in 2015.
The ride by Johnston-Porter however reaffirmed the dominance of local jockeys in the race, with the Railway Stakes staying within the WA riding ranks since Craig Staples won the 2016 renewal with Great Shot.
It was Clint Johnston-Porter’s first Group 1 win, exceeding his previous career best victories at Group 2 level.
“It’s going to take a couple of weeks to sink in,” Johnston-Porter said.
“I’ve been dreaming of this moment for a very long time and I was stiff last season not to get one so to get one on the board, it’s just massive.”
Saturday’s Railway Stakes was the most positive Port Lockroy had been ridden this campaign, with Johnston-Porter settling the son of Better Than Ready one out and one back behind race leader Belclare.
From there, it was only a matter of peeling off the fence into the clear on straightening with Port Lockroy showing a smart turn of foot to draw clear by three-quarters of a length from placegetters Comfort Me and Super Smink.
While it appeared clinical, Johnston-Porter told a different story as he returned to scale fresh off his first Group 1 victory.
“We were drawn 7 and everyone probably thinks it’s a good barrier, but it can be very tricky,” Johnston-Porter said.
“In the first 200 meters of the race, I thought, “oh, I’ve really stuffed this up”. The apprentice in me came out and I kicked forwards and ended up lobbing in a beautiful spot. I just got a little bit itchy on the corner and I think it won me to race.”
Group 1 racing returns to Ascot as part of the lucrative Pinnacles race series in seven days’ time for the Winterbottom Stakes (1200m), followed by the Group 1 Northerly Stakes (1800m) on December 7.