Godolphin’s stellar three-year-old team set for weight-for-age tests
By Chris Roots
Trainer James Cummings will not be scared of testing Godolphin’s quality three-year-old team against all-comers at weight-for-age this spring.
Godolphin has a raft of topline colts, including Golden Slipper runner-up Cylinder, Corniche and Barber as well as stakes winners Tom Kitten and Amur who are looking for longer trips.
Golden Gift winner Barber is ready to return for Godolphin in the Rosebud at Randwick on Saturday. Credit: Getty
Golden Gift winner Barber will be the first colt back to the races as he headlines the Rosebud at Randwick on Saturday.
“We have a great group of colts heading into the spring and will be placing them to best effect. There are plenty of options and we would like to keep them apart where we can,” Cummings said.
“We will give them all the best opportunity to shine.
“There is the Golden Rose and the Coolmore Stud Stakes against their own age at group 1 level, which are a long way away. But don’t count out seeing these colts in weight-for-age races because this group is pretty good. It opens up more group 1 options for them in the spring.”
Godolphin head trainer James Cummings.Credit: Louise Kennerley
Cummings has barrier-trialled his three-year-olds in the past month but is mindful that it’s a long spring if they start too early.
“Barber will be the first [one] you will see in the Rosebud and he will be joined by Mural Crown, which won midweek at Canterbury,” Cummings said. “It is a handicap, so Barber will be asked to carry [the] top weight but he is ready to go.
“We are very happy with Corniche and Cylinder but they are a couple of weeks away. There are options for them in Melbourne and Sydney, there is the Vain Stakes in two weeks and the San Domenico Stakes a week after that.”
Cummings will start Pericles’ campaign in Saturday’s Spring Preview with the Rosehill Guineas runner-up to be aimed at mile targets this spring.
Godolphin’s head trainer was also pleased to report Golden Mile had no issues after being knocked out of the Missile Stakes when Big Parade fractured a shoulder in the straight on Saturday.
“Out of all my horses that went to the races on weekend, Golden Mile has pulled up the best,” Cummings said.
“We have to thank James McDonald for a remarkable piece of horsemanship in a very dangerous incident.”
Racing Victoria fails to consult big NSW trainers on whip-free concept
Some of the country’s biggest stables - who also have bases in Melbourne - were not consulted by Racing Victoria when it held secret briefings regarding its grand plan to bring young people back to racing.
The briefing included the idea of a teams-based race day, which it proposed to be whip-free.
A packed house at Randwick for The Everest last year.Credit: Getty
The whip-free teams concept, called the Racing League, is in its third season in England and the first meeting in 2023 failed to attract full fields. It was labelled “disappointing” by the Racing Post as it hasn’t got the cut-through expected, even with big prizemoney in English terms.
Racing Victoria sees the teams’ concept as a way to attract the 18-35 demographic and those briefed signed non-disclosure agreements.
However, the agreements didn’t hold up with the concept getting out into the public arena and being widely discussed in racing circles.
But it was those who weren’t taken into the inner sanctum that proved most interesting.
Godolphin, Chris Waller and Peter and Paul Snowden, who all have Flemington stables, weren’t consulted in the process.
Perhaps all being part of The Everest, they were seen as too closely aligned with Racing NSW in the us-against-them battle between Victoria and NSW.
Anamoe favourite for NSW horse of the year
The NSW Racehorse Owners Association have announced the NSW champion horse of the year awards finalists with retired star Anamoe featuring heavily.
Anamoe is a finalist in the miler and middle-distance categories and would also be favourite for NSW champion horse award after his six group 1 wins, including the Cox Plate.
Recently-retired Cox Plate winner Anamoe.Credit: Getty
There will be extra interest in a couple of categories with Golden Slipper winner Shinzo and Militarize, the Sires Produce Stakes and Champagne Stakes winner, fighting out the two-year-old award.
The three-year-old contest will be tight with Everest winner Giga Kick favourite over In Secret and Zougotcha. Giga Kick is also a finalist for sprinter of the year, where his main competition comes from Stradbroke winner Think About It.
The awards will take place at Randwick on August 31 where the Sydney premiership winners are recognised and the Bart Cummings Medal is awarded, which is judged on a point-score system for performance at metropolitan meetings during the season.
Zougotcha could be an Everest contender
Chris Waller gave Flight Stakes winner Zougotcha a sharp piece of work between races at Rosehill on Saturday and will test her as a sprinter early in the spring.
Zougotcha is earmarked for a Toy Show Quality return on August 19 and looked a sprinter as James McDonald gave her a squeeze up the straight on Saturday.
“I want to work out whether she’s a genuine sprinter or whether she’s a miler,” Waller said.
“She won the Flight Stakes over a mile, she missed her first-up run last prep because she had a temperature, so we never learned how effective she was over 1200m.”
Waller has floated the idea of Zougotcha being a contender for the $20 million Everest, where his stable holds a slot, but being a four-year-old she is also eligible for the $10 million Golden Eagle over 1500m.
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