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Libertad becomes a G1 star for Inglis Ready2Race Sale

29th Nov 2025

Inglis Classic and Ready2Race Sale star Libertad (Russian Revolution) put the seal on a future stud career and scored the first Group 1 success in the colours of Trilogy Racing with a stirring victory in Saturday’s Winterbottom Stakes over 1200m at Ascot.

Ridden superbly by Jamie Mott, the Annabel and Rob Archibald-trained 5YO entire tracked leader and fellow Inglis graduate Overpass, who was seeking his third successive Winterbottom title, in the nine-horse field.

With only a moderate tempo set, Overpass looked likely to be hard to run down in the sprint home, but as Josh Parr eased the $2.10 favourite towards the centre of the track after turning for home, Mott drove $21 shot Libertad up on his inside.

The pair knuckled down for an epic struggle over the last 200m, but while Overpass fought tenaciously, Libertad dug deep under hands and heels riding through the last 100m to score by the narrowest of margins.

Bred by Rheinwood Pastoral along with Somerset Services, Libertad was first sold for $40,000 from Rheinwood’s draft at the 2022 Inglis Classic Yearling sale, bought by noted Victorian horseman Tal Nolen.

The colt was then sold by Nolen later that year at the Inglis Ready2Race sale, bought by Annabel Neasham Racing for $210,000.

With Trilogy buying in to head-up his ownership team, Libertad won his first three starts including the G3 Kindergarten Stakes as a 2YO and the San Domenico Stakes as a 3YO.

Following a period of time off due to injury, he returned to win the G2 Victory Stakes in May and went into Perth’s premier short-course contest on Saturday off a close fourth in the G1 VRC Sprint at Flemington, which gave his connections confidence about the trip west.

His Winterbottom success gives him an impressive stat he could take into a stud career, as Trilogy founder and majority owner Jason Stenning reflected.

“He’s now won Group races at two, three, four and five, which is a pretty rare achievement,” Stenning said.

“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 owns Trilogy with his wife Melanie and Sean and Kathy Dingwall. The four friends also own Victoria’s Blue Gum Farm stud, and Saturday’s crowning G1 success for Libertad could not have come at a better time, given Blue Gum suffered the premature death of one of its three stallions - Inglis Classic graduate Sejardan - only earlier this month.

“As everyone’s aware we had a huge loss in losing Sejardan only a few weeks ago, so we’re still coping and dealing with that,” Stenning said.

“One of the best rules is ‘No decisions on raceday’. But I think this win certainly qualifies Libertad to go to stud, but we’ll just let the dust settle, get together with Sean and Kathy, brainstorm it and see what we’re going to do next.

“It’s very emotional for us - our first Group 1 win in Trilogy colours. It’s a huge milestone for us,” said Stenning, founder of Central Coast-based personal protective equipment company Industree Group.

“We’ve won plenty of Group 1s in partnerships, so we’ve seen what it takes. But this is humbling, though also validating about the concept of what we’re doing. So it’s really exciting in a lot of ways.

Warwick Farm-based Annabel Archibald, who trains in partnership with husband Rob, described the victory as “just a huge, huge thrill”.

“We weren’t in the market, and we knew the favourite was going to be really really tough to beat,” she said.

“What a great ride by Jamie. The plan was to follow Overpass, with the knowledge that he’d be very hard to run down. 

“But I thought Libertad’s run in the Champions Sprint was terrific, and just seeing him - I got here on Thursday - and this is the best he’s ever paraded.

“He’d won a Group 2 and a couple of Group 3s, and we were desperate to get a Group 1 with him. He’s still an entire, so I’m so happy for Trilogy and there’s plenty of decent owners in him. A couple have made the trip over, so we’ll be having a big one tonight.”

Libertad is the 114^th individual G1-winning Inglis graduate since 2018 and the 48^th which could have been bought for $100,000 or less.

At Rosehill, Inglis Easter Yearling Sale graduate Yorkshire (Snitzel) made it seven wins from 10 starts with his breakthrough black type victory in the G3 Festival Stakes.

Ridden by Zac Lloyd, the John O’Shea and Tom Charlton trained 5YO jumped to the front from gate one of 16 and was in command of the race throughout.

The gelding pinched a two-length break soon after straightening and held on to score by 0.4 lengths from Inglis Premier Yearling Sale graduate Arctic Glamour.

Bred by SF Bloodstock, Yorkshire was a $575,000 purchase at the 2022 Easter sale from the draft of Newgate Farm for PR Funds. The gelding is the first foal of quadruple US stakes-winning sprinter Chanteline (Majesticperfection).

Yorkshire’s half-brother by I Am Invincible has been nominated for next year’s Easter Sale. 

At Caulfield, Casino Seventeen (Casino Prince) underlined his Inglis bargain buy status by racking up his fifth stakes victory and third Group success in the G3 MRC Eclipse Stakes over 1800m.

Bred by Grant Briscoe of Kirksbridge Farm in the Hunter Valley, Casino Seventeen was bought from Widden Stud’s draft at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale of 2019 by Jo Hardy for just $9,000.

He took his earnings past $1.6 million with his Eclipse victory, which came after he pushed up along the inside in the home straight for Billy Egan after trailing the leader.

A dual Group 2 winner in Perth, the 8YO Casino Seventeen is as durable as he is widely travelled. He’s been based in five states, and has now scored his 11th win - to go with 11 seconds and 11 thirds - from 55 starts. Saturday’s victory was his first in eight outings for Cranbourne trainer Gavin Bedggood.

At Doomben, another Inglis value purchase - Rockribbed (Night Of Thunder) - scored his second stakes success with a thrilling win in the Listed Recognition Stakes over 1350m.

Ridden by Ryan Maloney, the Tony Gollan trained 8YO gelding sat just off the pace before striding up on a rails run in the straight to score by less than 0.1 length. 

Bred by Bridsan Bloodstock, Rockribbed was bought for just $14,000 by Polaris Bloodstock from the draft of Victoria’s Flinders Park Stud at the Inglis Gold Yearling Sale of 2019.

Four years later he was bought by current part-owner Elliott O’Shea for $27,500 via Inglis Online.