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By Tony Megahey

Despite outsider’s odds, the accomplished Bathurst team of Don and Andrew Ryan are undeterred with their three-time winning mare Annecy, taking on favourites from the prolific TAB Highway Handicap winning stables of Danny Williams and Matthew Dunn at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.

Andrew says Annecy ($19 into $18 on TAB fixed odds) is primed to run up to her best form after three runs from a spell, while his 84-year-old former race calling father Don, will be watching from the comforts of home and Sky Racing.

Annecy (Greg Ryan) scores an easy win at Dubbo. Image by Janian McMillan

“Travel now is too tough on Dad, but he watches races every day and studies the form; we agreed if you kept worrying about taking on stables with their success rate in the series, you’d never leave home,” Andrew chuckled.

“We’ve got a mare with genuine ability and upside, so we won’t die wondering - we’re happy to have a decent crack in better grade,” Andrew said.

Annecy, a four-year-old Sebring mare is weighted on 53 kilos and has drawn barrier 11 for Tim Clark in a TAB $60,000 1400m episode. Danny Williams’s impressive last start Highway winner Volpe ($4.80) is second favourite, his stablemate O’Lordy ($7), also a recent Highway winner, is prominent in betting, along with the Dunn’s Gold Coast winner Divine Unicorn ($3.50 into $2.90 favourite).

“Danny does a great job training and riding his own trackwork, but you’ve got to take them on eventually in these Highways to find a horse’s limits. It’s still a country class 3, so this mare is well placed with 53 kilos as a three-race winner. She’s won up to 1600m, but 1400m is ideal at this stage of her prep, and what we do know is that she’ll run it out strongly. If she’s up to them.”

Annecy has wins at 1300m at Bathurst and 1620m at Dubbo last preparation: “We’d nominated for a Highway before when she’d won really well last prep. But she had some temperamental ways so we thought she needed more experience and maturity and spelled her. She’s come back a better and stronger mare, so we’re rollin’ the dice. But Dad and I know Danny’s Volpe is a real smart type and we saw last week’s win. But when you come to town, you know the opposition will be quality.”

After being held up in the straight, Volpe burst clear late for 3kg claimer Jean Van Overmeire. He retains the ride, and the claim has Volpe weighted to win again, particularly out in distance to 1400m. O’Lordy will be ridden by Kerrin McEvoy.

However, the meticulous placement of 13-time Highway winner Dunn, and the influence of Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Corey Brown, will guarantee strong support for Divine Unicorn, up in grade after starting $1.80 and beating field of six over 1400m at the Gold Coast recently.

Meanwhile Don Ryan, a long-time regional racing and sporting celebrity early in his career, broadcast alongside an emerging talent from Junee, Ray 'Rabbits' Warren.

View the final fields with full form & race replays for Rosehill Gardens here