Facile leads all the way in P J Bell Stakes
The Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou-trained Facile (+1000) has cruised to victory in the Randwick finale on Saturday, proving too good for the girls in the P J Bell Stakes (1200m).
It topped off a career day by Tyler Schiller, giving him a stakes double for the afternoon, saluting aboard Celestial Legend in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) earlier in the program.
It was a perfectly rated front-running ride aboard the daughter of Trapeze Artist, as Schiller was able to tick-over some soft midrace sectionals to give a final kick with a furlong left to travel.
Commemorative (+290) was well-backed prior to the jump and didn’t get a lot of luck when the whips were cracking, while Infancy (+1600) launched a late challenge down the centre of the course under Dylan Gibbons, with the young guns left to fight out the finish.
It was all about the winner in the end, as Facile held off all challengers to claim her second career win.
2024 Group 3 PJ Bell Stakes Replay – Facile
Co-trainer Gerald Ryan was on course to discuss the victory and spoke to what the win means.
“A lot of satisfaction,” said Ryan.
“I trained the mum, I trained the father. She has always promised a lot, a couple of good fillies beat her in races as a two-year-old.”
“She had a setback with a (bone) chip then I probably trained her too hard in the spring, trying to make her run 1400.
“After her second run here when she missed the start and she wasn’t one hundred per cent happy, I said to the crew, ‘we’ll freshen her up and aim her at this race, whack the blinkers on and see how we go’.
“Tyler was confident. He came out on Tuesday week ago and rode her in a jump out and rode another two fillies, we had three in work. I gave him the pick and he picked her ten days ago.”
Tyler Schiller was delighted with the win as well.
“It makes a good day even better,” said Schiller.
“It’s good to win on her. Last start she was a little bit tardy away, she’s a bit of a temperamental mare.
“To get a Group win on the board for her, it’s a big credit for her. The team has done well.
“She had a really good kick up the rise. I was surprised that one actually got that close to her.”