Bits & Pieces

Anthony Cummings’ back-to-back Group 1 wins over the past week have taken his career tally to 11, an impressive record but nothing like that of his father. The great Bart Cummings is still winning regularly at 81, has 253 Group 1 winners and has won more Melbourne Cups – 12 – than the bulk of his fellow trainers, including Anthony, have had Group 1 wins.

Anthony is 52 and his own man, but his website www.anthonycummings.com.au acknowledges his father’s influence, when it says that the son’s stable is “built on history – and a pedigree that is one of the best in the book”.

Road To Rock’s surprise win at $41 in the George Main Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday was hot on the heels of Turffontein’s win in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield the previous Saturday.

Cummings junior’s spring crop should continue to bloom, perhaps as early as Saturday when he will have runners in the four Group 1s at Randwick: Road To Rock, the Epsom Handicap (1600m); Sister Madly, the Flight Stakes (1600m); Lovemelikarock, the Spring Champion Stakes (2000m); and Zavite and Nothin’ Leica Cat, the Metropolitan Handicap (2400m).

And, at Flemington, he will saddle up last-start Group 3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m) winner Red Lord in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m).

By the way, training’s next generation Cummings, Anthony’s son James, recently moved from his father’s Randwick stable to become Bart’s Sydney foreman at the same track. And who stepped into the job James vacated? His brother, Edward.

WE SAW IT

It was a big step down from the Group 1 Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield to Sunday’s Zambari Handicap (1440m) at the same track, but it was sweet consolation for Gold Salute. Heavily backed in the Group 1 on September 19, he reared in the gates as the starter let the field go, threw jockey Mark Pegus out the back and was declared a non-runner. Yesterday, with Pegus in the saddle, he started at the amazingly good odds of $6 after opening at $3.80 and won like a good thing.

“I couldn’t believe the price this horse was in a race like this,” said trainer Mark Riley, suggesting a Group 1 win was still on the cards for Gold Salute (b/br g 6, Testa Rossa-Gold Sarah, by Catrail (USA)), who has won eight of 22 starts and just on $400,000. Targets are the Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield on October 10 and the Emirates Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on November 7.

Another impressive winner at Caulfield was the filly Jolie Brise (b f 3, Fastnet Rock-Vestey (by Last Tycoon (IRE)) in the Arborea Handicap (1440m). She has won her past three, each time going up a rung, and trainer Pat Hyland has the Group 1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on October 14 as her next goal. He said she would run in “everything”.

The first protest over use of the whip under the new rules that restrict its use came at Belmont in Perth on Saturday:  Duncan Miller claimed after he finished third on Brave Knight in the Support Your Local Tab Handicap (1600m) that another apprentice, Jarrad Noske, on second-placed Battle Emblem, had used the whip more times than is permitted before the 100m mark. Stewards said Noske had breached the rules by hitting Battle Emblem in a forehand manner nine times in consecutive strides before the 100m mark. They fined him $1500, but dismissed Miller’s protest.

Noske has struggled since returning from a stint at Caulfield with Peter Moody – and a broken wrist from a track accident – but he had his first win of the season at Belmont on Xaaravid in the Westspeed 3YO Handicap (1300m). Paul Harvey leads the premiership race with 17.5 wins from Jason Brown (15.5).

Whipp was good news at Newcastle on Saturday, and at Hawkesbury on Thursday – Jessie Whipp, that is. The 3kg apprentice had wins at both meetings. She has two rides at Kembla Grange tomorrow – Tempo Rouge (R1) and Elusive Song (R5) – so it might pay to follow her.

WE’LL WATCH IT

Before racing’s focus turns totally to Melbourne, Flemington will be the second-ranked meeting on Saturday with the $500,000 Group 1 Turnbull Stakes, three Group 2s (Edward Manifold, Baguette and Blazer) and four Listed races rounding out the card. A super program! And as an extra, Sydney’s super mare Hot Danish will run in either the 1200m Baguette (ex-Gilgai) or the 1400m Blazer.

Randwick, of course has four Group 1s – although, at $350,000 each for the Epsom and the Metropolitan and $300,000 each for the Flight and Spring Champion, they are poor relations to the Turnbull – and two Group 2s and a Group 3 and three Listed races on its huge 10-race card.

And it has Darren Beadman, Sydney’s former champion and, probably, still favourite jockey. He will fly in from Hong Kong for the one meeting after riding at Happy Valley on Thursday night and before backing up at Sha Tin on Sunday.

He is coming to check out Much Much More in the first 2YO race of the season, the Breeders’ Plate (1000m) for colts and geldings – clients of Hong Kong trainer John Moore, for whom Beadman rides, have asked him to determine whether buying him would be money well spent.

Much Much More (br c 2, More Than Ready (USA)-Marmoso, by Marscay) won an 800m barrier trial at Randwick’s Kensington track on September 21. Beadman told the South China Morning Post: “It’s been a late decision, but a youngster that John Moore bought for a Hong Kong owner at the Magic Millions is running in the first two-year-old race, so I’m going down to ride it.” Should get more offers, too.

Beadman rode one winner at Sha Tin at the weekend and after five meetings of the new season sits second on the jockeys’ ladder behind much-hyped apprentice Matthew Chadwick (6). Chadwick’s master, Tony Cruz, also has six wins and he leads the trainers’ list from Moore and Almond Lee, who have five. Last year’s champion Caspar Fownes broke through with a double on Saturday, but John Size, third last year and winner of five crowns in seven seasons, is winless.

Lee Freedman has booked Corey Brown, sacked just over 18 months ago as his stable rider, for Speed Gifted (b g 6, Montjeu (IRE)-Good Standing (USA), by Distant View (USA)) in the Metropolitan as he seeks to qualify the impressive import for the Caulfield Cup, in which he has been weighted at 51kg. A win would likely bring a penalty and lift his chances of getting a start in the $2.5 million cup.

New Zealand, too, has a big meeting on Saturday, with the $NZ1.2million Group 1 Kelt Capital Stakes (WFA, 2040m) at the headline act at Hastings in Hawke’s Bay. Caulfield trainer Mick Price had Group 3 Easter Cup (2000m) winner Miss Maren (ch m 5, Stravinsky (USA)-Deebee Lady (NZ), by Brilliant Invader) booked to go over on a plane today.

And on Sunday, Australia’s Horse of the Year Scenic Blast (B/br g 5, Scenic (IRE)-Daughter’s Charm, by Delgado (USA)) will race in the Group 1 Sprinters Stakes (1200m) in Japan as part of the Global Challenge Sprint Series. Mark Zahra will replace Steven Arnold as rider because Arnold has commitments as retained jockey for big owner Lloyd Williams at Flemington on Saturday – Williams’ trainer John Sadler will run one or more of C’Est La Guerre, Efficient, Renewable and Zipping in the Turnbull.

Meanwhile, champion Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien said Rip Van Winkle, (B c 2006, Galileo (IRE)-Looking Back (IRE), by Stravinsky (USA)), winner of the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot in England on Saturday, could go on to the $US5million Breeders’ Cup Classic (2000m) at Santa Anita in the US on November 7 and a possible clash with superstar Sea The Stars (B c 2006, Cape Cross (IRE)-Urban Sea (USA), by Miswaki (USA).

O’Brien could take stablemate Mastercraftsman (B c 2006, Danehill Dancer (IRE)-Starlight Dreams (USA), by Black Tie Affair (GB)), also a Group 1 winner, with Rip Van Winkle whom he called a “very special colt”. Septimus (b h 2003, Sadler’s Wells (USA)-Caladira (IRE), by Darshaan (GB)), who has not run since his flop in the 2008 Melbourne Cup, could also be on the plane from Ireland to the US for the $US500,000 Breeders’ Cup Marathon (2400m) on November 6.

The first of the European visitors for this year’s Melbourne carnival arrived on Saturday and have settled in at the Sandown quarantine barns. Racing Victoria reported that Luca Cumani’s pair Cima De Triomphe (g h 2005, Galileo (IRE)-Sopran Londa (IRE), by Danehill (USA)) and Basaltico (b h 2004, Shantou (USA)-Sfilza (GB), by Indian Ridge (GB)) and Godolphin’s Kirklees (b h 2004, Jade Robbery (USA)-Moyesii (USA), by Diesis (GB)) and Crime Scene (b g 2003, Royal Applause (GB)-Crime (USA), by Gulch (USA)) would work on the track tomorrow.

SPRING MARKETS – TAB Sportsbet offers these odds (all in):

Caulfield Cup (2400m) October 17

$6 Vigor

$9 Predatory Pricer, Daffodil

$13 Cima De Triomphe, Shocking, Red Ruler, Kirklees

$16 Master O’Reilly, Maldivian

$18 Whobegotyou, Speed Gifted, Roman Emperor

$26 Red Lord, Harris Tweed, C’Est La Guerre 

$31 Mr Clangtastic, Viewed, Road To Rock, Zagreb,

$35 Hissing Sid, Light Vision

Cox Plate (2040m) October 24

$3.80 Whobegotyou

$7 Maldivian

$8 Heart Of Dreams

$9 Predatory Pricer, El Segundo

$11 Trusting

$14 So You Think, Black Piranha

$18 Onemorenomore

$21 Vigor, Manhattan Rain, Daffodil, Red Ruler

$31 Kirklees, Jolie’s Shinju, Road To Rock, Zipping, Efficient, Zarita, Raffaello

Melbourne Cup (3200m) November 3

$9 Vigor

$12 Master O’Reilly, Efficient

$14 Viewed, Profound Beauty

$16 Daffodil, C’Est La Guerre, Roman Emperor

$21 Speed Gifted, Cima De Triomphe, Shocking

$26 Changingoftheguard, Precedence, Alcopop

$31 Capecover, Dandaad, Red Ruler, Mourilyan, Zagreb, Zipping, Kirklees

$41 Maldivian, Ista Kareem, Munsef, Whobegotyou, Hissing Sid