Cummings singin’ in the rain for his Golden Eagle hopes
THE prospect of a wet week in Sydney has boosted trainer James Cummings’ confidence as he plots a Golden Eagle assault, with Godolphin willing to launch a three-pronged attack at the $7.5m feature.
Cummings confirmed talented mares Flit and Colette, as well as the lightly raced Criaderas, are all in the frame for the lucrative Rosehill event for fouryear-olds next weekend. Flit was last seen winning the Silver Eagle to confirm her spot in the field while Colette ran a credible sixth in the Group 1 Epsom Handicap this month.
The Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes at Flemington is also an attractive option for both mares but Sydney’s weather is appealing to Cummings, with up to 70mm of rain predicted in Sydney over the next week.
“We will nominate both the mares for Melbourne but I love the weather for Colette for the rest of the week,” Cummings said.
“They are both in good form and I think they are going to run really good races.”
Both Colette and Flit already have Group 1 victories on their resumes.
Meanwhile, emerging talent Criaderas is the untapped talent of Godolphin’s trio but would need to bounce through his run at Randwick last Saturday back up in the Golden Eagle.
The son of Lonhro was in the back half of the field before making up good ground when runner-up to the John Thompsontrained Cuba over 1400m on the weekend.
“If Criaderas pulls up well, I think he will run well too,” Cummings said.
“His rating would have increased and he would have made up more ground than most horsto es did all day in his race. He handled the rain-affected track which is what we are likely to face next week so there is a lot to like about the prospect of running him.”
Flit is rated by bookies as Godolphin’s best chance in the Golden Eagle at $11 while Colette ($15) and Criaderas ($26) are also both double-figure odds.
Keagan Latham has been booked to ride Colette if the stable heads to the Golden Eagle.