Cummings has best day of career as he puts polish on winning treble

JAMES Cummings described yesterday as the best day of his training career after he trained a winning treble which was capped off with a Group 1 win in the Kennedy Mile with Best Of Days.

It was Cummings’ ninth Group 1 win in his career and his seventh since he teamed up with Godolphin in the middle of last year.

“It’s a red-letter day. I’ve got a great opportunity working with a great bunch of people that can support me with a big team,” Cummings said.

“It’s taken me a bit of time. Now we’re getting the results..

“You get to Cup week, the eyes of the racing and sporting world are on Flemington the colours of Sheikh Mohammed with our polish on.”

Cummings said he was proud of the results.

“It’s a five or six-month build-up to today. I’m a 30year-old battler doing my best. I’ve got a great opportunity with Sheikh Mohammed and he shows faith and support with horses like Best of Days coming over from Europe.”

Cummings said Best Of Days had put in the best week of his preparation this past week.

Best Of Days ($12) won by a half a length over Le Romain ($13) with Peaceful State ($13) a half length away from third. TONY McEvoy was content to play party pooper yesterday when his star filly, Sunlight, put a temporary halt on the stallion-making aspirations of a handful of brilliant colts by taking out the $1 million Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes.

Sunlight’s gritty victory also delivered an incredible trifecta in the race for her father, Zoustar - from his first crop - and also carried on an extraordinary four-generation family tradition in this event.

The only filly in the race, Sunlight ($5.50) was handy from the start and put the early pressure on Written By ($4), before holding off a fast-finishing Zousain ($3.40 favourite), to win by a half-neck.

Lean Mean Machine ($10) was a length away third.

“I am happy to win any race, and I understand the measure for what this race can do for a colt,” an elated McEvoy said.

“But, look, when you have a filly as good as she is, why not back her up? This showed that if she had the luck last week she would have won the Manikato (Stakes).

“She has always had plenty of fight. They all had their

Chris Waller admitted he was a bit of sook at Flemington yesterday. But a Group 1 victory with a seven-year-old mighty mare – this time Shillelagh, not Winx – sure changed all that.

He was disappointed when Brimham Rocks missed a start in the Melbourne Cup by half a length to an English import in chance to beat her. She was courageous – she is a star.”

Sunlight has now won eight of her 12 starts, including this year’s Magic Millions, with the Coolmore victory pushing her through the $3 million prizemoney bracket.

Sunlight capped off an amazing family run in this race. Zoustar, won the Coolmore in 2013, and his father, Northern Meteor, claimed the race in 2008.

And Northern Meteor’s sire, Encosta De Lago, won the race when it was a Group 2 in its previous guise as the Ascot Vale Stakes.

Widden Stud’s Antony Thompson, who stands Zoustar for a $60,500 service fee, was conflicted in the Coolmore Stud Stakes, having bred Sunlight but owning a share of runner-up Zousain.

Victory could have made a multimillion-dollar difference to Zousain’s worth as a stallion, but Thompson is certain the threetime Group 1 runner would have his moment in the sun.

“We always thought Zoustar would be a star at stud and to have three runners from his first crop in this race was a great achievement,” Thompson said. “But to trifecta it is next level.’’ the Lexus Stakes, but the champion trainer does have perspective after saluting in the Empire Rose Stakes.

“I’ve been the biggest sook of all today after running a couple of seconds (placings) like it was the end of the world after last week,” Waller said.

“Then 30 minutes later, you’re winning a Group 1 race.”