Three-time Group 1-placed Adelaide River (Ire) (Australia {GB}) and multiple Group winner Changingoftheguard (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) will make Australian debuts for seven-time Melbourne Cup-winning owner Lloyd Williams in Brisbane with a long-term goal of targeting the 164th G1 Melbourne Cup.
The former, runner-up to the globetrotting multiple Group and Grade I winner Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the G1 Irish Derby, was last seen in September winning the G3 Paddy Power Kilternan S. He will now be trained by Kris Lees and was in the nominations for Saturday's Listed Andrew Ramsden S. at Flemington Racecourse in Victoria. Williams admitted it was unlikely for Adelaide River to run there, however, as a shorter contest was also on the radar.
“I think that rather than go to the Ramsden [2800 metres], I think he'll probably go straight to Queensland for a 2200-metre or 2400-metre race and we'll get some sun on his back as well,” Williams said in a quote to racing.com. “[Adelaide River and Changingoftheguard] are both very good horses and I think they'll probably go [stay in work] right through to the spring as if they were in Europe, they'd be going to [Royal] Ascot before coming out.”
Changingoftheguard has not run since finishing third last June at Royal Ascot in the G2 Hardwicke S. He'd visited the winner's enclosure last in 2022 when taking the G2 King Edward VII S. by a nose at that venue. The ultimate goal for both is a tilt at the G1 Melbourne Cup in November, along with the Williams-owned Group-winning Post Impressionist (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), who now resides in the yard of new trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman.
“I don't think there is any doubt that they'll run two miles,” Williams told racing.com. “It's too early to tell, but I'd be surprised if they don't. They are nice horses and we've got the next six months to think about it [trying for an eighth win].”
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
