CUMMINGS SAYS ANAMOE ‘IN ZONE’
GODOLPHIN trainer James Cummings has favourite Anamoe “in the zone” for his $5m Group I Cox Plate grand final on Saturday at The Valley.
The “perfect” lead-up to the 2040m weight-for-age championship has Cummings bullish Anamoe, a six-time Group I winner including the past three on the bounce, stamping his superstar authority.
“This is such a serious race and it’s a really important race for him,” Cummings said.
“He’s going to be an extremely valuable horse for us when he retires … but if he can win the Cox Plate, it just takes that to the next level.
“He’s the headline horse in the headline race and that’s what makes it so hard to win.”
Anamoe powered to victory last start in the Group 1 Might And Power Stakes after crabbing around the final bend at Caulfield to nail I’m Thunderstruck and Zaaki in a pulsating three-way blanket finish.
The banner stallion handled The Valley with aplomb last year, going down by the barest of margins against world class State Of Rest.
“Win, lose or draw, he’s (Anamoe) still a star and it would just be, without talking yourself into it, a really nice race to win.”
X-factor import El Bodegon, trained by Chris Waller, has firmed from $9 to $7 with TAB during the week, following last Tuesday’s barrier draw. Frontrunner Zaaki, with a cloud over noted leader Alligator Blood, has also tightened up at $4.
I’m Thunderstruck, $12, and Caulfield Cup runner-up Gold Trip, $14, head the rest.
Anamoe has gone from $2.10 to $2.40 since the barrier draw.
Cummings declared Anamoe, based on latest performances, the horse to beat with even luck.
“The actual race itself, that is going to bring out the best performance in some of these horses, it’s whatever horse I think is able to rise to the occasion, get the right run, and the horse and rider in sync, that’s the way I see it,” Cummings said.
“From that perspective we’re focusing only on Anamoe and with good conversations with James Mcdonald, he seems to be well and truly on our wavelength and got a good grip on how Anamoe is going, he’s got full confidence in his horse.”
Cummings has prepared 33 Group 1 winners without a spring major – Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate or Melbourne Cup – on the ledger.
“Those are the sorts of things I prefer not to think about, until I get asked them, but what do you do?” Cummings said.
Anamoe has produced peaks in past fourth-up assignments, including Golden Slipper (second), Cox Plate (second) and winning the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas by seven lengths.
By design, Anamoe is fourth-up again in the big race on Saturday.