NOVEMBER AIR Scores Dominant Victory in STEFANO CHERCHI Memorial at Canberra

A race of special significance for our trainers in memory of 23yo jockey Stefano Cherchi who tragically lost his life on the 3rd April 2024, two weeks after sustaining head injuries in a race fall at the Canberra racetrack.

Stefano was based out of Warwick Farm, working with Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald.


Stefano Cherchi

He had ridden more than 100 winners in Britain before relocating to Australia at the start of 2024.

Prior to to the race, the Canberra Race Club unveiled a memorial plaque in the saddling enclosure to honour Stefano.





This event emotionally meant a lot to Annabel and Rob so they decided to have a two prong attack at winning the race in Stefano’s memory.

As things panned out Rob and Annabel trained the quinella, when our Dynamic Syndications 3yo filly NOVEMBER AIR ($3.90 2nd fav) defeated stablemate Leovanni ($3.30 fav) by an eased down 1.81 lengths with Rufus Atticus ($8.50) 1.89 lengths third.


NOVEMBER AIR in cruise control scores effortless win

NOVEMBER AIR was second up after returning from a spell.

First-up she ran over 1280m finishing 4th of 13 at Muswellbrook. She had hit the front in the straight before peaking with 150m to run and tired.

Three weeks between runs, the stable was confident the filly had improved with fitness and the increase in distance to 1400m was ideal. Team Dynamic grabbed Wagga based rider, Pierre Boudvillain, who rode our filly 10 out of 10, and our Dynamic Duo gave nothing else a chance.

Having flown out of the machines when the gates crashed back, she landed clearly in front and never gave her peers a sighter, when having the luxury to ease down over the final 50m to record a dominant victory.


150m


50m


25m




Winning

This was a satisfying victory for several reasons. Firstly, the trainers wanted to win the race for its importance being a memorial to their lost friend.





Secondly Dynamic Syndications had purchased the filly at the end of its first preparation and after a solid first up effort, we were able to achieve victory for a wonderful team of loyal Dynamic Owners at just the filly’s second start for our team.


NOVEMBER AIR in dominant display

Obviously, our owners didn’t miss her in betting either, seeing her tumble with every call from $6.00 into $3.90 at the jump.

CONGRATULATIONS to our DYNAMIC Owners of NOVEMBER AIR: Dynamic Ladies, Mr S J Koukoulas, Ms S T Hancock, Mr J R Kamaric, Mr T M Barclay, B Lynch, Mr C Brenchley, Mrs L A Butler, Mr GR Fraser, Laughing all the Way, Ms J Stewart, Mr R Romaldi, Mr S L Lamont, Mr A Attieh, Mrs B K Bennell, Mr S Najda, Mr P S Chiu, Wilson Brothers Racing, Mr W C Bradnam, Mr D A Simpson

STEFANO CHERCHI MEMORIAL Maiden Plate (1400m) Soft 5 Time: 1:24.40 Last 600m: 35.71



1st of 9 CANB 2Apr25 1400m Soft5 MDN-SW $22,000 ($13,000) Pierre Boudvillain 56.5kg Bar6 2nd Leovanni (NZ) 56.5kg, 3rd Rufus Atticus 58.5kg 1:24.40 (600m 35.71), 1.81L, $6/$5.50/$4.20/$4/$3.90

There is quite an interesting back story on how Dynamic Syndications (eventually) secured NOVEMBER AIR and its fitting we have been rewarded with achieving what is expected to be many visits to the winner’s circle.

BACK STORY: DYNAMIC Purchase Highly Promising 3yo Filly NOVEMBER AIR

Dynamic Syndications always keep an eye out for horses we believe have plenty of upside that we can purchase and offer to our current and former owners, to keep the winners flowing and cut down the waiting time from purchase to the sport.

As per most aspects in life, it’s not just what you know but also who you know, and in our position, the relationships we have with industry participants.

Team Dynamic’s Adam Watt has a close business relationship with Rob Archibald, co-trainer with Annabel Neasham. After a phone call confirming various aspects, we needed to know, we purchased NOVEMBER AIR - a 3yo brown filly that we were confident would be gracing the Winners Circle in the future.

We have always kept an eye upon this brown filly’s progress through the Neasham/ Archibald stable because we were of the opinion at the yearling sales, that she was an absolute glamour. Back then we made her a real target to put into our Dynamic silks.

As things would turn out, the brown filly by PEIRATA (Pierro) ex CHICKALETTA (Redoute’s Choice) would go home with another owner from the saleyard as they had deeper pockets. We had valued the filly at four times service fee of $40,000 + GST. That valued her to us at $160,000 plus one bid to $170,000. However, we were knocked out of bidding race at $170,000. Bidding kept going and the hammer fell at $220,000 to Justin Fung (TFI) / Aquis / Kacy Fogden Racing Qld.

This filly was from the first crop of PEIRATA, a winner of 9 races inc the ATC All Aged S., Gr1 Shorts Gr2, Missile Gr2, Sydney S, Gr3, Vo Rogue S Gr3 and Magic Millions Guineas. PIERATA has made an immediate impact at stud with his first crop, finishing third on the premiership ladder with 9 winners and 2 stakes winners. A remarkable start for a sire whose progeny will keep getting better with age.

The Dam was CHCKALETTA, an unraced daughter of champion sire Redoute’s Choice from the Stakes Winner & Stakes Placegetter BEYONCE’S STAR. Whilst CHICKALETTA is also a half-sister to Gr2 and Gr3 Winner OAK DOOR (Commands).

Our Genetic Rating Score on this cross of PIERRO over REDOUTE’S CHOICE is A+++.

Our belief in the filly at the yearling sales was that she should make into a lovely later 3yo, but may need the time as she was immature, and she should grow and develop into a lovely autumn 3yo.

Aquis gave the filly to their main trainers Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald, but the owners became a little impatient. Despite the urgings of the trainers to take their time, the owners wanted to push the filly through the system, when she was physically and mentally not ready.

NOVEMBER AIR went to the sport on debut as a late 2yo on 13 July on a Soft 6 surface and did plenty wrong when finishing a respectful 1.58 lengths away in fourth spot at Newcastle over 1200m. Drifting in the market from $12 to $26, she led but tired over the final 100m.

Second-up on the 4 August at Wyong over 1200m on a Soft 5 surface, NOVEMBER AIR settled midfield in a fast run race and again did things wrong through inexperience, hanging out in the straight to finish 5th only 1.08 length from the winner, having been firm in the market $4.80, $6.5, $6.

At her third run for the preparation, on 22 August she went to Hawkesbury in what would prove a very hot maiden, which delivered exceptional formlines. NOVEMBER AIR had flashing lights when finishing 3rd of 14 runners, only 1.25 lengths behind Spanish Fox (4yo g.) and Listentozou (4yo g.).

Subsequently Spanish Fox has now won 5 in a row – Hawkesbury, then again Hawkesbury, Kensington, Warwick Farm and Rosehill, whilst Listentozou came out and won at Eagle Farm. The fourth horse home was Show County (4yo g.) and he won its next start at Wyong. The fifth horse was Fiftyfivechevy (3yo g.) who came out and won at its next start at Muswellbrook. The sixth horse Le Chocolat (4yo g.) ran second at its next start to a horse that would frank the form by running third in a Gr3 and then a Gr1 at its next two starts. The seventh horse Gone Bananas (3yo g.) won its next start at Hawkesbury. Whilst the tenth horse home Dubai Dame (4yo m.) also subsequently won.

NOVEMBER AIR was a lightly framed 3yo filly in the spring and was overpowered by the older and stronger males. Accordingly, NOVEMBER AIR had done a wonderful job for that prep. She logically should have been sent for a spell because she had lightened off significantly.

However, the stable was again overruled, and she was kept in work. Annabel and Rob tried to freshen the filly up and gave her five weeks between runs, and she was sent to a 1500m maiden on a Heavy 8 at Goulburn on 26 September. She found a hot race where the winner was Duvana, who had previously been 3rd to Storm Boy and Prost in the Skyline S., Gr2, before a spell. It went to Goulburn to do a job and it started $1.50 and won by 4.52 lengths. NOVEMBER AIR raced as a very tired filly and didn’t like the sticky conditions. She whacked away into fifth over a distance that was too far on a very testing track at that stage of her development.

She was sent for a spell. She was as light as a cork and in desperate need for a break. The owners said, “sell her” and she was placed in the Inglis online sale. She has been paid up for BOBS and Magic Millions.


At Bimbadeen Park after we purchased her. 

NOVEMBER AIR 3yo Brown Filly, 7-Sep-2021, by PIERATA from CHICKALETTA.

Summary: 4-0:0:1 & Prizemoney: $9,475.

4th of 11 (1.58) at Newcastle; 5th of 7 (1.08) at Wyong; 3rd of 14 (1.25) at Hawkesbury; 5th of 9 (9.57) at Goulburn.

Adam at Dynamic Syndications noted she was in the sale and rang Rob. Adam was told by Rob that he and Annabel didn’t want to lose the filly and were putting feelers out to see whom among their friends/clients could buy her and keep NOVEMBER AIR in their stable. Adam confirmed we would be interested up to a ceiling price. When the bidding closed, she was ours at $50,000 + GST.

To us that represented great value. This was $120,000 less than the $170,000 we had bid on her at the yearling sale. That’s a discount of 70.6%. And it was 77.3% less than the $220,000 she was purchased for as a yearling.

She was just not physically and mentally mature enough to cope last time through, but the formlines speak for themselves. 1400m appears her distances and genetically she is perfect.

We purchased NOVEMBER AIR on 18 October. We transported her from the spelling farm the stable use, to Shane Rose’s Bimbadeen Park. She arrived on 21 October. She was very light, weighing just 433kgs. After the first 14 days she was re-weighted and was already 25kgs heavier at 458kgs. She was re-weighed on Friday 8 November and was 470kgs after just 3 weeks she has put on 37 kgs which is a massive 8.5% of her bodyweight.

Our plan was to leave her in the spelling paddock until the end of November before she returns to pre-training with Shane Rose for 4 weeks, then head back into Warwick Farm. We expect she would be ready to return late February.

This time in she trialled on 18 February and again on 3 March. She has grown and strengthened but still looks immature and will continue to improve over the next few months.

She is a lovely filly with obvious ability and still had the easiest races available to her.

We loved her as a yearling. In our opinion she was pushed too far last prep at the instructions of the previous owners and lightened off.

She will continue to furnish and strengthen, and we strongly suspect she is set for a nice Autumn and promises to add further wins to her career tally.