Saturday’s $500,000 Group 1 AJC Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) at Randwick is shaping up as a scintillating showdown between father and son as Bart and Anthony Cummings prepare their top two-year-olds Do You Think and Smart Missile to face off.
After the upset late withdrawal of Smart Missile from last Saturday’s $3.5 million Golden Slipper, Fastnet Rock colt Smart Missile has been cleared to run in the 2011 AJC Sires Produce Stakes on Saturday as they attempt to extend their unbeaten record to three straight.
Last start Smart Missile scored a shock win over subsequent Golden Slipper winner Sepoy in the Group 2 Todman Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on March 12.
On Saturday the colt will jump from the ideal barrier four draw and in-form hoop Glen Boss, who fought with stewards to keep Smart Missile in the Golden Slipper last weekend without success, will be aboard.
Trainer Anthony Cummings is confident of Smart Missile’s chances in the AJC Sires Produce.
“He seems to be on top of his game and hopefully he shows that on Saturday,” Cummings said.
“I know he will go in to the barriers, I just want him to come out the front not the back!”
But if anyone can rain on his parade it is the Cups King, Anthony’s maestro trainer father Bart Cummings.
Bart prepares the other top fancy in this year’s AJC Sires Produce Stakes in fellow unbeaten two-year-old Do You Think.
Do You Think was the first emergency for the Golden Slipper but missed out on a start in the world’s richest race for two-year-olds.
Instead the Starcraft colt, formerly called Ingham, ran and won the Group 3 The Schweppervescence (1400m) in fine style.
On Saturday Do You Think will jump from barrier eight with Hugh Bowman in the saddle.
One horse that did run and perform well in the Golden Slipper that is set to back up in the Sires Produce is the third-placegetter Elite Falls.
The John O’Shea-trained daughter of More Than Ready took out the Group 2 Reisling Stakes (1200m) ahead of Satin Shoes in March on a rain-affect Rosehill track before running a game third to Sepoy in the Golden Slipper last Saturday.
Elite Falls will jump from barrier five in the AJC Sires Produce with Jimmy Cassidy maintaining his association with the up-and-coming star, who comes right into contention with the Randwick course currently rated a Slow (6).
“She came through the Slipper really good,” O’Shea said.
“I think the main Slipper chances coming out of the race are going to be the ones to beat and if Anthony Cummings’ horse (Smart Missile) can get to the barriers and get through them he’ll be nice and hard to beat.
“But we’re happy enough with our filly. She’s had an uninterrupted preparation and Slipper placegetters have a great record in the Sires.”
While it is good news for Elite Falls, O’Shea’s progressive colt Foxwedge will not contest the AJC Sires Produce.
Foxwedge ran seventh in the Golden Slipper after appearing to lose his action down the straight.
The son of Fastnet Rock is now set to undergo testing at the Randwick Equine Centre to establish how badly the colt’s injury to his near-foreleg is.
“I think he’ll be right to come back for the latter part of the spring,” O’Shea said.
“He definitely strained his origin, it was very tender when he got home (from the Slipper).
“It’s disappointing to get this far and then have something go amiss there, but he’ll be OK.”
The only other AJC Sires Produce Stakes hopeful coming via a run in the Golden Slipper is Gai Waterhouse’s filly Shared Reflections who ran sixth.
Other notable 2011 AJC Sires Produce Stakes acceptors include the John Thompson-trained duo of Pane In The Glass and Boys On Tour, Peter Snowden’s Exceed And Excel colt Helmet and last start winner of the Group 3 Skyline Stakes (1200m) Uate.
The 2011 Inglis Sires Produce Stakes is scheduled as Randwick Race 6 at 3:00pm (AEST) on Saturday, running one event before the day’s marquee race, the 150th AJC Australian Derby at 3:40pm (AEST).
2011 Inglis AJC Sires Produce Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw
No | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | Weight | Penalty | Hcp Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1X1 | SMART MISSILE | Anthony Cummings | Glen Boss | 4 | 56.5kg | ||
2 | 3X11 | HELMET | Peter Snowden | 7 | 56.5kg | |||
3 | 111 | UATE | Kris Lees | Nash Rawiller | 2 | 56.5kg | ||
4 | 11 | DO YOU THINK | Bart Cummings | Hugh Bowman | 8 | 56.5kg | ||
5 | 5912 | BOYS ON TOUR | John P Thompson | 6 | 56.5kg | |||
6 | 13 | EXCEED AND EXALT | Guy Walter | Nathan Berry (a0) | 3 | 56.5kg | ||
7 | 8X61 | KING’S PACT | David Payne | Corey Brown | 9 | 56.5kg | ||
8 | 51X2213 | ELITE FALLS | John O’Shea | Jim Cassidy | 5 | 54.5kg | ||
9 | 11132 | PANE IN THE GLASS | John P Thompson | Jim Byrne | 12 | 54.5kg | ||
10 | 1316 | SHARED REFLECTIONS | Gai Waterhouse | Damien Oliver | 11 | 54.5kg | ||
11 | 316X3 | FAST AND SEXY | Chris Waller | Glyn Schofield | 1 | 54.5kg | ||
12 | 33X4 | DISPUTES | Peter Snowden | 10 | 54.5kg |