Winning farewell for Cumani

Luca Cumani, whose wonderful training career will come to an end next month, enjoyed a fairy tale farewell big-race win when God Given landed Italy's only Group 1 of the season, and the trainer's 50th in his career, under British champion apprentice Jason Watson.

Cumani, one of Flat racing's most respected and admired operators, last month announced that after 43 years of training racehorses he was quitting to focus on his successful Fittocks Stud business.

Had he been able to pen the final pages of his career, a toplevel triumph in his homeland would likely have been among the dream scenarios.

It became reality when Watson and God Given repelled the Mark Johnston-trained Nyaleti in the Premio Lydia Tesio at Capannelle, with the Archie Watson-trained Snowy Winter completing a clean sweep for British runners in third.

It was an emotional outcome for Cumani, whose Derby