Mindful of the bigger spring picture, Godolphin has resisted the temptation to pit Cascadian against stablemate Anamoe in the Cox Plate and will follow a softer route towards another Victorian Group 1 target.
Trainer James Cummings revealed the Cox Plate was tabled for Cascadian after he streeted his rivals in the Hill Stakes last start but ultimately, it was decided to spread the stable’s talent, rather than put their best middle-distance eggs in the one basket.
“I did pose it to the boys, what would Sheikh Mohammed prefer to win, a Craven Plate or a Cox Plate?” Cummings said.
“We will stick to the plan. We’ve got good representation in the good races.”
Cascadian will instead line up in Saturday’s Group 3 Craven Plate (1800m) at Randwick for which he is a dominant $1.70 favourite with Surf Dancer ($4.40) considered his only serious threat.
Cummings concurs that the flashy chestnut with the baldy face is his leading winning chance over a strong weekend of racing.
“He is probably my best placed horse of the weekend,” Cummings said.
“He just has not taken a backward step since the Hill Stakes, which he just careered away with.
“The horse is going really nicely and he is really trying to build up to his grand final in the Champions Mile on the final day of the Flemington carnival.
“This is going to be a beautiful, interim run between the Hill Stakes and then.”
Cummings is also bullish about the prospects of evergreen eight-year-old Kementari in the $2 million Sydney Stakes (1200m) after he put the writing on the wall with a fine fourth to Everest contender Lost And Running in the Premiere Stakes (1200m) last start.
“I think he can win the Sydney Stakes. It’s a good race for that horse,” Cummings said.
“He raced lots of The Everest hopefuls in the Premiere and, beaten half a length in that race, it’s looking like pretty good form for the Sydney Stakes.”
Kementari is also favourite for his assignment at $3.60 and will be out to continue the stable’s heady form, with Cummings already preparing the winners of 15 black-type races this season, four of them at group 1 level.
