Racing: James reflects on spring after Silent Achiever tears off BMW

Silent Achiever dashes clear of her rivals at Rosehill on Saturday to add the BMW Stakes to her Ranvet title. Photo / Getty Images

Who cares if Roger James cried on television after Silent Achiever won Saturday's A$1.5 million BMW?

It was a crying day.

Tommy Berry, understandably, cried through the birdcage memorial to his twin Nathan.

Wayne Hawkes cried after winning the A$3.5 million Golden Slipper with Mossfun with his father John and brother Michael.

There were tears in the jockeys' room all day and on Thursday Sky Television had to stop - not just pause - a tribute by rival jockey Glen Boss to Nathan Berry's passing.

Oh, and Sydney's leading trainer Chris Waller is a regular handkerchief man after a victory.

You could hardly blame Cambridge trainer Roger James. This was Silent Achiever's third straight group one victory after a disastrous Melbourne spring campaign.

Everything went wrong there - everything has gone right this time.

Now it's the possibility of either the 3200m Sydney Cup or the A$4 million Queen Elizabeth, the latter perhaps ending up the choice with James possibly leaving the step up to 3200m until the Melbourne Cup in November.

"I'm really big on having choices and we won't be doing anything until we have to, until we weigh up where most of the others are going."

Immediately after winning the Ranvet at her previous start, Silent Achiever wasn't ignored but the press focus was more on what was seen as a match race and why didn't either Fiorente or It's A Dundeel win.

But as raceday drew nearer, this time punters flocked to Silent Achiever, despite the depth of the field, which again included Melbourne Cup-winning Fiorente and It's A Dundeel, a fast which deepened the thrill for James.

"Last year when she ran second in this race, you could perhaps have made a case that it wasn't the strongest BMW line-up we'd seen, but all the guns were out there this time. She was just better than them."

Even though he probably wouldn't admit to it, winning rider Nash Rawiller's huge up-swinging victory slash with his whip arm was probably, in part at least, caused by the thrill of beating Fiorente.

In the spring, Rawiller was sacked off Fiorente leading up to the imported horse's Melbourne Cup victory, straining the relationship between Waterhouse and Rawiller to breaking point.

James McDonald was not making excuses for It's A Dundeel's late and dour run into second, ahead of Fiorente, but he was excited about the run as a Queen Elizabeth lead-up.

"He's going to be peaking at the right time for that big race. He's sort of felt like he's a run behind in his preparation, but that race will catch him up."

Stewards questioned McDonald as to why he allowed It's A Dundeel to drop back to second last early.

"I told them I had to go right back to get in - there was no way I was going to get left parked three wide on him."

Trainer Murray Baker is confident It's A Dundeel can make a race of it with Silent Achiever if his horse stays closer to her in running in the Queen Elizabeth.

What a day for the New Zealanders at Rosehill. Silent Achiever and It's A Dundeel in a 1-2 BMW result, James McDonald winning the Golden Slipper on Mossfun, former New Zealand filly Lucia Valentina promoting herself to Oaks favouritism with her A$400,000 Vinery Stud victory, and Ruakaka filly Rising Romance running a slashing fourth in that race.

There is more to come.