Noel Callow claimed his most significant win in almost a decade when Depth Of Character powered to victory in the $350,000 Queensland Guineas (1600m) at Eagle Farm, delivering the first leg of a remarkable double for Annabel and Rob Archibald.

Callow, stepping in with James McDonald suspended and Ryan Maloney committed elsewhere, made no mistake on the $7 chance, cruising to the front and accelerating clear to win by over two lengths.

“I was just trying to enjoy my life, but ‘the game’ said to me, ‘we’re not going to put you on if you’re going to enjoy your life’, so I’ve been doing the hard yards,” Callow said.

“I was lucky that ‘J-Mac’ got rubbed out in Hong Kong and Pug took another ride, I was the last one standing and got the cash.”

It was Callow’s first Group 2 success since Sweet Sherry’s win in the 2017 Euclase Stakes, and it set the tone for a memorable day for the Archibalds, who followed up with Libertad’s boilover in the $300,000 Victory Stakes (1200m).

“I just had to count to 10 and 15 and then let him rip away,” Callow said of his ride on Depth Of Character, who defeated Churchill’s Choice ($9) and Beau Dazzler ($26).

Jamie Mott partnered Libertad to a short-half-head win over Jedibeel ($6), with outsider Golden Mile ($41) filling third place in a race that now sets the stage for Group 1 sprint targets during the Winter Carnival.