Roger James is not being big headed by putting star New Zealand filly Silent Achiever up against the boys in Saturday's Group One Rosehill Guineas.On the contrary, he believes it could be a slightly easier introduction to Australian racing than taking on her own sex a week later in the Vinery Stud Stakes over the same 2000m course."It's not that I think I'm that good that I should be taking on the colts but I just thought it's a great alternative to taking on Mosheen (in the Vinery)," James said

Roger James is not being big headed by putting star New Zealand filly Silent Achiever up against the boys in Saturday's Group One Rosehill Guineas.

On the contrary, he believes it could be a slightly easier introduction to Australian racing than taking on her own sex a week later in the Vinery Stud Stakes over the same 2000m course.

"It's not that I think I'm that good that I should be taking on the colts but I just thought it's a great alternative to taking on Mosheen (in the Vinery)," James said.

"Mosheen does look the most dominant, and it does give us the option of going to either the Derby in two weeks or the Oaks in three weeks by going this way."

Silent Achiever heads into her Australian debut with big wraps on her after five wins in seven starts in New Zealand including the Derby (2400m) at Ellerslie last start.

James wants to see the filly keep living up to the hype in Sydney this autumn before he dishes out even more compliments.

"It's hard to gauge how she's going to go here. I think Saturday is going to be a defining race for a lot of them," he said.

"But you can take nothing away from the way she's done it and what she's done so far.

"She's had four races over ground all at Group level, she's met the colts in three of them and she's won them all with her ears pricked."

James is no stranger to bringing horses across the Tasman and has enjoyed a number of successes including training Giovana to win the Queensland Oaks in 2000 and Sixty Seconds to win the Group One Storm Queen Stakes in 2002.

He says Zonda has also been his measuring stick.

Zonda won the NZ Derby by nearly five lengths on Boxing Day in 1997 before heading to Australia where he won the Group Two Alister Clark Stakes.

He finished second to Gold Guru in the Group One Australian Guineas with Gold Guru then going on to upset Might And Power in the Ranvet Stakes at his next start.

Zonda was fifth in the 1998 Rosehill Guineas, won by champion Tie The Knot.

"Since I've been training I've always said Zonda was the measuring stick. He was a bit freakish," James said.

"Unfortunately we didn't see him much after his three-year-old year but he was very good.

"She (Silent Achiever) is the best filly I've trained and she could be up there with Zonda, I don't know.

"The autumn is going to tell a lot of stories."

Silent Achiever is the $4 favourite with TAB Sportsbet and has barrier 17 with Sydney's premiership leading jockey Hugh Bowman to ride.

"It is something I can't do a lot about. Hopefully Hughie can," James said of the draw.