“Far from easy”: Why Port Lockroy is bypassing the Northerly, and Lady Laguna’s Winterbottom chances

Railway winner Port Lockroy will bypass the Northerly and return to Sydney for a crack at the lucrative $2 million Ingham in mid-December.

Rob Archibald, who trains in conjunction with Annabel Neasham, says it was no easy decision to send Port Lockroy back home instead of racing in the Group 1 Northerly on December 7.

He says that despite the four-year-old’s brilliant win at Ascot on Saturday, the call has been made mainly because they believe the son of Better Than Ready is more effective over the mile of the Ingham rather than stretching out to the 1800m of the Northerly.

“It was not easy at all, and we’re still not convinced we’re making the right one (decision). It’s hard to know,” Archibald said on SENTrack’s Giddy Up.

“He ran so well over the 1500m in the Golden Eagle and he’s run so well over a mile (in the Railway). Whenever we have stretched him out, he’s run well, but we feel like maybe the mile is just about his perfect distance.

“He sort of had everything go his way there on Saturday and there were still a couple of horses behind him that were finding the line pretty well.

“We just had to make a decision. There was a flight going back today (Tuesday) and we just decided to go back for The Ingham.

“It’s a difficult one when you’ve got a race like the Northerly over here, and also he’s going from a handicap back to a weight-for-age. So a few little things that we weighed up and we landed on going home.

“Far from easy.”

Despite Port Lockroy’s absence in the Northerly, the stable will have Numerian run in that race on December 7, but Archibald suspects he’ll be peaking in the Group 2 Van Heemst over 2200m two weeks later.

Numerian is a $26 chance with Sportsbet for the Northerly.

Port Lockroy, who was ridden by Clint Johnston-Porter in the Railway, will next run in The Ingham at Randwick on December 14.

Archibald and Neasham’s sprinting mare Lady Laguna is in Perth preparing for this weekend’s Winterbottom Stakes (1200m).

She was underwhelming when 10th of 12 in the Champions Sprint at Flemington on November 9, but Archibald suggests she can bounce back against the likes of Overpass and Western Empire on Saturday.

“She’s been excellent, she’s a pretty well-travelled mare,” he said of the five-year-old.

“She’s travelled over well, she’s had a couple of bits of work that have been good. We couldn’t be happier with her.

“Obviously Overpass is in good form, he’s going to take a lot of beating. He seems to find a bit extra over here.

“Western Empire has returned in good order, he’s a good horse.

“But I think our filly is right in it. She’s genuinely very consistent, albeit her last run down the straight.

“I think she’s going as well as ever, so we certainly expect a big showing from her.”

Archibald insisted that he is not too worried about Lady Laguna’s form on anti-clockwise or left-turning tracks, as opposed to the other way of going on which she has produced all seven career victories.

“We’re not too concerned about that, but you can make an argument that she goes better the ‘Sydney way’,” he said.

Lady Laguna, who will be ridden by James McDonald, is currently the $4.80 third favourite with Sportsbet for the Winterbottom this weekend behind Overpass ($2.90) and Western Empire ($4.6).

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