Last season’s Randwick Guineas winner Kementari is in great order to take on Australia’s super star of the turf Winx in the Group 1 $500,000 Winx Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Kementari, above, is in great order to take on Winx in the 2018 Winx Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
Kemenatari claimed Group 1 glory during his three year old season with his win in the Group 1 $1m Mostyn Copper Group Randwick Guineas (1600m) at Randwick during the 2018 Sydney Autumn Carnival and at his first outing as a four year old finished a brave second to Pierata in the Group 2 $200,000 Mostyn Copper Group Missile Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on August 4.
Trainer James Cummings said that Kementari has come through the run in great order and is excited about taking on the Chris Waller trained Winx in the race named in her honour.
“He came through his first-up run in great order and in the end he was just training so well,” Cummings said.
“His work on Tuesday morning was the best of any of ours, so we’ve got no hesitation running.”
“It’s just going to be a pleasure being part of a great day.”
“He’s a good, young horse on the way up who showed last start that he’d come back in great order.
“We definitely have great respect for Winx, but there’s a bunch of nice horses, it’s not only her that we have to beat.”
Cummings has already selected Kementari’s next outing and the Lonhro stallion will head to Melbourne to continue his 2018 Spring Carnival campaign in the Group 1 $1m Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on September 1.
“It’s a natural progression for him where it sits, two weeks after the Missile Stakes and two weeks before his next run in the Memsie at Caulfield,” Cummings said.
Winx’s price for the Winx Stakes has drifted slightly from $1.12 to $1.16 with Ladbrokes.com.au while Kementari is the only other runner under the $10 mark at $7.
Waller can’t fault the condition of Winx as she chases her twenty-sixth straight win and was very buoyant after the mare completed her track work at Rosehill this morning.
“What Winx has shown in her latest 25 wins is a bit of authority and we don’t think she has dropped back at all. It will take a very good one to beat her,” Waller said.
“Since the 1st of January she has only raced three times, I think that’s a big help towards her longevity and seeing her in such great shape.
Waller will saddle up five horses in the Winx Stakes with his other four runners at double and triple figure odds, D’Argento ($19), Unforgotten ($61), Religify ($101) and Libran ($151).
