Cummings charts steady course for Guineas with Aft Cabin
“I know the stable have a good opinion of him, and his form suggests that, especially when you’re the short-priced favourite for a Caulfield Guineas.”
Godolphin chief James Cummings was mindful to take it easy with Aft Cabin after he bled and knows the chances of a repeat bleed have now been increased.
“You last saw him when he stormed away to win the Caulfield Guineas Prelude, but he’s done so well since, and he now gets a chance to kick off his prep with a big run first-up,” Cummings said.
“He had a trickle of blood from both nostrils and we needed to give him time to rest and heal. It’s instrumental horses are given time to heal, get their head down in the paddock, and let nature takes its course.
“We haven’t needed to pour any pressure on him too quickly. We’ve given ourselves plenty of time, and he looks really well.
“He’s come back looking enormous.
“We’re not in the business of setting Aft Cabin a world record number of race starts. He’ll have a sensible number of race starts for his career and that will be it.”
Aft Cabin will push on to the Hobartville Stakes on February 18 ahead of the Guineas on March 4, where he is early favourite with bookies.
“He doesn’t need to win on Saturday to be a Randwick Guineas chance. He’s first up from a long break and I don’t want to put that sort of pressure on him,” Cummings said.
“All I know is he will run really well first up and put in a really good effort. From there, he will be two runs away from the Randwick Guineas.”
It could be a bumper spring for Godolphin. Top two-year-old Barber is set to resume in Melbourne for the Blue Diamond Prelude and Blue Diamond, which will still give him plenty of time to return to Sydney for the Golden Slipper.
As for Anamoe, Cummings said: “He’s fitter for his couple of trials this prep and picked up the bridle and is using himself beautifully. He’s nice and forward; we’ve got him right where we want him. We don’t need to do too much with him, and he’ll be ready to go for the Apollo Stakes first up next Saturday [at Randwick].”
Aft Cabin is the even-money favourite for the Eskimo Prince. John O’Shea’s Zou Tiger is second elect and also resuming after jagging a place at big odds in the Golden Rose.
Sicilian ready to fly in Randwick opener
Jockey Tim Clark can still remember watching replays of the Gimcrack Stakes and thinking Sicilian looked the winner 200m from home.
The first two-year-old race of the season for fillies was taken out by its Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott’s stablemate Platinum Jubilee.
Clark, who piloted another Team Waterhouse and Bott runner, Perfect Proposal, led the field for home only for Sicilian to stalk them around the turn.
“She did look the winner in the Gimcrack, but with the wet track and a bit of condition, she gave out late,” Clark said.
“But she’s really forward for Saturday’s [return] race. She’ll give a really good account of herself.
“She’s really talented, very straightforward to ride; she jumps and has a high cruising speed. She’s also had two trials in preparation for this race, so she’s ready to go.”
Sicilian dropped off in the Gimcrack to finish out of the placings but just three lengths behind Platinum Jubilee.
The stable had a decent opinion of her ability that day when she started second favourite behind Perfect Proposal.
Bookies have already posted her favourite for her return on Saturday in the Randwick opener, the Lonhro Plate (1000m).
No winner of the Lonhro Plate has gone on to win the Golden Slipper, but the past three winners have been fillies.
Sicilian, by I Am Invincible out of the Lonhro mare Pursuits, cost $650,000 at the sales and tuned up for some autumn action with a couple of trial wins, including her last outing with Clark on board.
“She’s really developed mentally this time in,” Clark said.
“She’s up there with one of the better two-year-olds I’ve ridden this time in. She’s got some really good potential. Saturday is a good starting point for her this prep. And with barrier one in a small field, you know what you’ll get with her – she’ll be in the firing line for a long way.”
Clark took out last week’s feature Expressway Stakes on the Joe Pride-trained Mariamia and knows an early-carnival feature win can be used by jockeys as a morale boost on the eve of chasing the big Sydney and Melbourne riches.
The hoop was also keen on the Team Hawkes’ Remarque, which kicks off his campaign at headquarters. One of Clark’s headline horses, Alligator Blood, will resume down south later this month.
Meanwhile, Gerald Ryan’s Banana Queen is chasing a fourth straight win at Randwick on Saturday before potentially pushing on to the Epona Stakes.
The four-year-old mare is building a handy little record which jockey Brenton Avdulla is again entrusted with keeping alive.
Globe-trotting jockey Tom Marquand will also make his return to the races on Saturday for the start of a ten-week autumn stint.
The Englishman famous for steering William Haggas’ hulking chestnut Addeybb to his three Sydney group 1 wins, is booked to ride Zou Tiger in the feature Eskimo Prince Stakes, as well as Feel The Knight and Hardware Lane for Matt Dale and Mitch Beer respectively.
Another visiting jockey, Benoit De La Sayette, has his first and only spin on O’Shea’s I Siyou Baby.
