The Ingham 2023: Sara Ryan, Regan Bayliss and Attractable try to claim another big race win

She’s had her name up in lights since her Big Dance victory – now trainer Sara Ryan is targeting the $2m The Ingham with in-form gelding Attractable.

Trainer Sara Ryan and jockey Regan Bayliss will again combine with Big Dance winner Attractable in the $2m The Ingham at Randwick on Saturday. Picture: Bradley Photos

Trainer Sara Ryan has had her stable firing on all cylinders since Attractable put her name up in lights in the Big Dance and she’s confident her stable weapon can keep momentum flowing in Saturday’s Group 2 The Ingham (1600m) at Royal Randwick.

Attractable delivered Ryan the biggest victory of her young career when the talented galloper produced a stunning frontrunning effort to win last month’s Big Dance.

The magnitude of the success is still settling in as Attractable prepares to rise to even greater heights in the $2m The Ingham.

“It’s still pretty surreal,” Ryan said.

“We were straight back into it the next day but it’s fantastic for the team and it is has kept flowing.

“The momentum has just kept flowing from that run so it’s been great.

“He has not taken a step backwards. If anything he is rock hard fit now.

“He is bouncing out of his skin and I would expect another strong performances on Saturday.”

Attractable toughs it out on speed and WINS the Big Dance for Sara Ryan and @Reganbayliss! pic.twitter.com/MEDeqXhUUP

— TAB (@tabcomau) November 7, 2023

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Ryan is yet to claim a stakes winner and if Attractable could win The Ingham he would also earn ballot exemption into next year’s Doncaster Mile.

The TAB rates Attractable as a $14 chance to add another feature win to his resume with The Gong winner Detonator Jack ($4.60) the horse to beat.

Attractable’s chances grew when the I Am Invincible gelding drew barrier three during the week with Regan Bayliss retaining the ride.

“He is going to get to the front without doing any work which is good for him,” Ryan said.

“Whether he leads or he has something that comes across him, I don’t really mind.

“I will leave that up to Regan (Bayliss). He knows the horse now and I don’t need to tell him what to do with him.”

Regan Bayliss celebrates his Big Dance victory aboard Attractable. Picture: Jason McCawley /Getty Images

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Attractable, which also won the $150,000 Coffs Harbour Cup earlier this year, has earned a well-deserved break regardless of how he performs in The Ingham.

“The prep right now, this will probably be it,” Ryan said.

“He had a lot of racing last campaign and he only really had two weeks in the paddock between qualifying through the Coffs Harbour Cup and his run in the Alan Brown Stakes.

“He hasn’t really had that much time off and has done enough.”

Ryan also has the impeccably-bred Chief Conductor bound for Randwick.

Chief Conductor is a son of I Am Invincible out of the Group 1 winner Snitzerland and the five-year-old is still only lightly-raced.

Ryan elected to scratched Chief Conductor from Friday night’s Canterbury meeting where he was due to line up alongside stablemate Prince Invincible, with the gelding to instead contest The Sacco Midway Benchmark 72 (1200m).

What a Friday night for @sara_r_racing 👌
2 wins & a 2nd from her 3 Canterbury starters. Chief Conductor bringing up her 2nd winner in the 1100m BM78, ridden by Adam Hyeronimus 👌
It was the 4th win from 12 starts for the I Am Invincible 5yo & win number 9 for Ryan for 2023/24👏 pic.twitter.com/mUP6eoP95F

— Wyong Race Club (@WyongRaceClub) November 17, 2023

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“We will go to Saturday with him because to have two runners at Canterbury bashing each other up is not ideal,” Ryan said.

“It was one or the other and although he drew nicely at Canterbury, if he missed the kick again, he was going to be crowded and covered up so I would rather give him his chance in the Midway.

“He is a unit of a horse himself. A big stocky horse so weight (60kg) doesn’t worry me with horses like that.”

Chief Conductor added his fourth victory at start 12 last start at Canterbury with a determined effort in an 1100m event at Canterbury.

“He was gutsy after he missed the kick for the second time in a row,” Ryan said.

:It had me a bit nervous but he was able to get him in a really nice spot and get him breathing, which was nice.”  

Adam Hyeronimus will pilot Chief Conductor with the top weight of 60kg.

Chief Conductor is a $12 chance in the Midway where the Jarrod Austin-trained Terra Mater is a $2.50 favourite to win.

Ryan had also accepted with Money From The Sky at Randwick and in Sunday’s Big Dance qualifying Nowra Cup but elected to run the gelding on Friday night at Canterbury instead.

November was the best month of Ryan’s career to date with six winners from 15 starters including resurgent galloper Vegas Outlaw, which has put together three wins on the bounce.