Saturday preview: Bletchingly is the stage for Cummings' swan song

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Cummings’ swan song with Bletchingly triple threat

Saturday marks the last weekend that the Blue Army will be steered by James Cummings, who will depart Godolphin’s operation at the close of the racing season ahead of a move to Hong Kong in 2026. While metropolitan winners Drift Net (Exceed And Excel) and Tarpaulin (Harry Angel {Ire}) will fly the flag at Randwick, the headline act will be a trio of consistent gallopers in the G3 Bletchingly Stakes at Caulfield.

The 6-year-old Kallos (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}) leads the group by experience and prizemoney and gels with this track, having won the G2 Rubiton Stakes last February at the same venue. Four of his seven wins are at stakes level, and victory in the $200,000 contest would push his prizemoney to just below the $1 million threshold, which would be a satisfying close to his time in Cummings’ care.

Gallery: James Cummings' three runners in the G3 Bletchingly Stakes at Caulfield

Inhibitions (Zoustar), a 4-year-old mare who won the G3 Triscay Stakes back in February, returned in fine form earlier in July with a speedy third in the Listed Santa Ana Lane Stakes behind Marble Nine (Kobayashi). However, it is 5-year-old Kin (Impending), winner of the Listed Gai Waterhouse Classic in June, that carries Cummings’ hopes for Saturday’s race.

Cummings told SEN Radio on Thursday that he expects her wide draw to play in her favour; “She’s got the wide draw Saturday and she could really use that to her advantage at Caulfield. She enjoys being held up but then getting to the outside and with that good dash that she does possess, I’d like to think she’s got some chance.

“It was excellent to see her get another stakes win this campaign for her CV before she retires, but her second attempt at weight-for-age, it would be even sweeter for her.”

Whatever the outcome, it will be the close of a significant chapter for Cummings.

“There are mixed emotions,” he said. “While everyone has got to move on, there is no doubt there is great passion associated with this team.

“There is passion for the horses, and when those horses start getting on trucks and moving to different stables, it is tinged with some sadness. But they go in good order and we hope they do extraordinarily well, and I’m sure they will.”

Godolphin have announced that their horses will be dispersed between Chris Waller, Ciaron Maher, Bjorn Baker, Gary Portelli, Joe Pride, Michael Freedman, Tony and Calvin McEvoy, and Ben, JD, and Will Hayes, as well as expanding their number with Anthony and Sam Freedman.

Spring preparations intensify for juvenile stars

Some juveniles have their spring preparations ahead of others with returns to the races on the cards for this Saturday.

Ole Dancer (Ole Kirk) returns to the races for the first time since her debut victory in March in the $200,000 Magic Millions 2YO Classic; uncatchable in both of her jump-outs, she profiles to nab another win in the opener at Caulfield.

Open Secret (King’s Legacy) opened her sire’s account in January with a Saturday victory at Randwick, before being beaten less than two lengths in Rivellino’s (Too Darn Hot {GB}) R. Listed Inglis Millennium. Trainer John Thompson has witnessed the filly mature since her first preparation.

“She won well first-up (in the autumn) and I think it just took the edge off her,” he told sportsnews.com. “She was obviously up in grade in the Millennium and the fillies’ lead-ins to the Golden Slipper, but she still ran sixth in all of them and she has come back better now.”

She leaps back into action at the same venue on Saturday, where she could run into autumn underdog star Shaggy (Sandbar), who took out the $160,000 Pierro Plate in his hot streak earlier this year. He could be set for the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes if he performs well in the Listed Rosebud, followed by the G3 San Domenico Stakes and the G2 Run To The Rose.

“He looks like a bull now,” trainer Allan Kehoe told racenet.com earlier this week. “He didn’t grow any higher, just wider and he feels so much stronger underneath you.”

The same race also features Nashville Jack (Farnan), who went unplaced but not without merit in two runs at Group level, finishing just two lengths behind the winner in the G3 Black Opal Stakes at his second start, and Steel Knight (Capitalist), who came home a quarter of a length behind him.

Tasman-crossing Hello Romeo (NZ) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}) joins them, after eskewing the Listed Lightning Stakes in Morphettville, where he was engaged as the only juvenile against a full field of 3-year-olds.

“He's up, he's sound and he's firing, and I said, ‘while the sun's shining, make hay’,” Will Hayes said following Hello Romeo’s most recent victory. “He's come back in good order as a gelding, so hopefully he's got a long, successful prep ahead.”

Over at Otaki, the last start winner of the Listed Castletown Stakes Platinum Diamond (NZ) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}) will be endeavouring to make it three straight wins in the Listed Ryder Stakes. After winning at the same track and distance on a Heavy 10, the Lisa Latta-trainer filly should be ready for whatever the weather will be thrown at her.

Patience sends Mister Bianco back to Brisbane

Despite a heavy weight impost that will see talented 3-year-old Mister Bianco (Zousain) carry seven kilos more than most of the field, trainer Paul Shailer has elected to give the gelding another run at Saturday metropolitan level instead of taking a swing at interstate black-type. Mister Bianco, who wears the colours of Magic Bloodstock that were made famous by Winx (Street Cry {Ire}), will line up in the $85,000 QTIS 3YO Handicap at Doomben for his next start this winter.

“He's not ready for Sydney or Melbourne,” Shailer told the media on Friday. “He's not good enough at the moment, so we might as well race for good Saturday prizemoney here (in Brisbane) while we can. He'll have a spell and then we'll bring him back for some summer racing.”

The 3-year-old was a controversial late scratching from the G3 Winx Guineas after no suitable replacement could be made for the injured Ryan Moloney, and Shailer is content to wait until the summer to ask more of his rising star, who has won three of his last four starts.

“I'm certainly looking for reasons for him to show me that he's ready to go to the paddock, but he hasn't given me any,” Shailer said, indicating they would crack on with the preparation until the gelding was ready for a break. "Until that happens, he'll be racing. He's in fantastic order and his work on Tuesday was as good as I've seen from him."

Only second elect Savour The Dream (NZ) (Super Seth) carries more than 54.5kg - to Mister Bianco’s 61kg - when lumped with 57.5kg. He will be first up from a spell on Saturday.

Blue Point gelding ready for Classic step up

Trainer Ashley Maley recognises there’s stiff competition in Saturday’s Listed Belmont Guineas, but he believes that Lano (Blue Point {Ire}) can make the leap into stakes grade after winning three of his last four starts. The 3-year-old gelding has relished stepping up to the mile and beat the older horses at Bunbury last start to score on a Heavy 8 track.

“I’ve always had a big opinion of him,” Maley said on TABradio. “We didn’t give him enough of a break early in his career and it made him a bit sour. He’s quite a tough horse, you have to ask him for everything you get out of him, he’s a bit of an arrogant sort of customer.

“But he’s racing really well and racing really tough, he seems to be able to cop a bit of punishment in his run. He just finds the line, he’s just tough, he’s really tough.”

Maley believes the jump from mile to 2200 metres is within Lano’s capabilities, but he faces strong opposition; three of his opposition come from 1800-metre or shorter races, while the remaining four came from either the 2019-metre Listed Aquanita Stakes, won by Arcadia Park (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}), or the Listed Belmont Oaks, won by Fancy Red (Sessions), who looms as the main threat. The Adam Durrant-trained filly is currently favourite for Saturday's race.

“The one of Adam’s ran a really nice race the other day,” Maley said. “I think all of the fillies ran nice races in the Oaks, but she’ll be hard to beat.”

Blue Point (Ire) currently sits second in the second season sires’ premiership behind Too Darn Hot (GB), but has not booked his return trip this season.

Who can add to their first season record?

Ole Kirk may have the first season sires’ premiership in the bag, but it’s never too late to nab another first crop winner. He is one of six first season stallions with maidens running around on Saturday, hoping to add to their tally; Beyond The Limits will line up in the starting gate for the first time at Belmont on Saturday for Susan Olive, after being well schooled with four trials.

Table: First season sires with maiden runners on Saturday

Farnan, the only stallion to match Ole Kirk for individual winners, has three winners accepted for Saturday, two of whom are maidens who give him the chance to draw ahead in one metric; Nashville Jack, who has shown talent in Group company, heads to Randwick’s juvenile opener and up at Doomben, Dragon Link bounces straight to metropolitan company off of a commanding trial win.

Anders has two chances over in New Zealand to add to his record, with Cosmopolitan (NZ) representing him in the Listed Ryder Stakes at Otaki, and Thanks Gorgeous (Peltzer) will endeavour to go one place better at Caulfield than her performance last start, where she ran second to classy Signature Scent (Written Tycoon) at the same venue.

Two Tagaloa fillies, debutant Just Curious and Australasia, will bid to break through before the turn of the season at Murtoa and Doomben respectively, and Dirty Work’s Pony Up will go toe to toe with Beyond The Limits in West Australia.