Jockey Jamie Kah made a hit-and-run trip to Godolphin’s Osborne Park training site to the northwest of Sydney first thing Tuesday morning and told stable staff: “Traffic was awful.”
Kah boarded the first flight from Melbourne to Sydney, was chauffeured to Richmond to ride The Everest hope Traffic Warden and then raced back across town and flew home.
Jamie Kah made the hit-and-run trip to Osborne Park for Traffic Warden on Tuesday.Credit: Racing Photos
Trainer James Cummings said Kah was not only a brilliant jockey but someone with an excellent sense of humour.
“My staff couldn’t wait to come up to her and ask, ‘how did Traffic go?’, and she told them, ‘traffic was horrendous’,” Cummings said.
“Jamie has plenty of ability, first and foremost, we find her very easy to work with, and we’ve built up a lot of confidence in each other because she has a track record on our horses.
“She won a Doncaster on Cascadian. Cascadian is up there with one of the most-loved horses we’ve had racing – Jamie helped put Cylinder on the map with victory in the Newmarket in March, and she’s had three rides on Traffic Warden for two wins, and only just got beaten in the group 1 AJC Sires.”
Traffic Warden and Jamie Kah get the job done at CaulfieldCredit: Getty
Traffic Warden, a three-year-old colt, was excellent when winning the Run To The Rose before just getting pipped by Broadsiding in the Golden Rose last start.
Godolphin have had several hot chances in The Everest, with Bivouac finishing second to Classique Legend in 2020, and Osborne Bulls and Trekking nabbing third in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
As for Traffic Warden breaking through for the stable at Randwick, Cummings said his work on Tuesday was the best to date.
“He’s third-up from a spell, three weeks between runs, so we wanted to make sure he had a solid gallop, he showed some pace but was nicely held together – he looked in perfect shape for what we’d like to see be a peak effort thus far this preparation,” Cummings said.
Leading Sydney trainer James Cummings (right).Credit: Getty
“He’s sound in body and mind, and calmly came off the track after putting in what I thought was the gallop of his young career.
“I needed to see the horse use himself well, so I afforded him the luxury of a lead horse [a last-start Newcastle winner] in the gallop. And we were delighted with the way he responded to that. He worked over five furlongs and improved on the bit the last three furlongs.”
Kah and Cummings will also team up with Tom Kitten in the group 1 King Charles III Stakes (1600m), with the horse “flying” after a second to Ceolwulf in the Epsom.
“Tom Kitten is really giving me the impression he’s heading somewhere,” said Cummings, who engaged Kah after Tom Berry was committed to Western Australian mare Amelia’s Jewel.
Pericles, Cummings said, raced like he was not fit enough over 1900m last week.
“And I love a horse who is improving in their fitness on the seven-day back-up, and dropping back to 1600m at Randwick, which is the scene of his PB [when second] in this year’s Doncaster,” he said.
Pride finds it’s a bonus staying home for Sydney races
Warwick Farm trainer Joe Pride remembers back in the day when after the Epsom, Sydney’s best horses would head south for the rest of the spring.
But that is a thing of the past and there is good reason for Epsom winner Ceolwulf to take on horse-of-the-year Pride Of Jenni in the King Charles III Stakes at Randwick on Saturday – up to $750,000 in bonuses. (The first five horses in the Epsom qualify for bonuses if they race in the King Charles III Stakes.)
Ceolwulf wins at Rosehill in August.Credit: Getty Images
″It was over in Sydney after Epsom day 10 years ago,″ Pride said. ″Back then we would have been in Melbourne with him and trying to win one of their big races. These bonuses and races make it an easy decision to keep him here and everyone likes racing at home.
″We have options to stay here and this race over the Randwick mile is a perfect test for him at the highest level. I know he will have his work cut out against Pride Of Jenni and Fangirl, but he is fit, and is the toughest horse I have ever trained and this is where he belongs to be.″
Ceolwulf was Rosehill Guineas and Australian Derby runner-up to Riff Rocket in the autumn, but Pride elected to target the Epsom in the spring and he outclassed rivals in the group 1 spring handicap earlier this month. But it is the way Ceolwulf came through his win over Tom Kitten two weeks ago that really has Pride looking forward to Saturday.
“He is just getting better and the amount of work he takes is amazing. We targeted the Epsom and anything after that was a bonus but I think he might be better heading into Saturday, which is crazy,” he said.
Pride’s confidence is reflected in the betting this week as Ceolwulf has been backed from $8 to $6 and sits behind only long-time favourite Pride Of Jenni, who is coming off an all-the-way Feehan Stakes victory, at $2.30 and 7 Stakes winner Fangirl at $2.80.
“He will have to be very good to match it with them, but I would put anything past my fella, especially in a small field at Randwick,” Pride said. “We all know we will be chasing Pride Of Jenni, hopefully we can give her a race.”
