By Craig Kerry
Godolphin trainer James Cummings hopes a rise in distance, and potentially an even softer track, can help Pereille return to the winners’ circle for the first time in 13 months on Saturday at Randwick.
Pereille, which last won on a heavy 10 Sunshine Coast track in May 2024, races in the ninth, a benchmark 94 handicap over 1300m.
Pereille winning at Moonee Valley in January last year.Credit: Racing Photos via Getty Images
The five-year-old was seventh, but just two lengths away, when first-up in the listed Takeover Target (1100m) at Gosford on May 10. Held up for a run in the straight on a Soft 7, Pereille then finished off well and has since trialled.
Cummings believed the extra distance and chance of a heavy surface on Saturday were positives for Pereille, an $11 Sportsbet chance from gate 12.
“He was warming up late there at Gosford and back in grade here is suitable,” Cummings said. “I’ve been interested in trying him over this sort of distance, and he should really enjoy the softer track this weekend.
“Fleetwood is an emergency and might struggle to get a run in that race, but he’s also worth keeping an eye on.”
Zac Lloyd is set to ride Pereille, if he overcomes a foot injury sustained at Warwick Farm on Wednesday. Lloyd went for precautionary X-rays on Thursday morning but said the injury had improved with icing overnight and he was confident of riding on Saturday.
He said he was injured in the mounting yard before race two on Wednesday when his foot struck a metal rail while aboard Meritage. He rode in that race and the following three, winning the fifth on Trapalanda, before replacements were found for his last two bookings.
Cummings also hopes for an improvement second-up from Contemporary, which was a $13 hope in the Bob Charley AO Stakes.
Contemporary was ninth when resuming in the listed Ortensia Stakes at Scone on May 17 and faces another 1100m test in that grade on Saturday. In-form Adam Hyeronimus has the ride from gate five on the $13 hope.
“He wasn’t too bad in that race and he got home well,” Cummings said. “I feel he’s improved off that run.”
Matima in the opener appears Cummings’ best chance at Randwick. The Lonhro colt won on debut at Hawkesbury then was second on a heavy Randwick track behind a dominant Agarwood two weeks ago over 1200m.
He was a $4.80 chance to go one better in another two-year-old race, this time back to 1100m.
“He’s putting it all together and racing will do him good,” Cummings said on Thursday. “He’s found a very hot race here. He was well held by Agarwood, but I think that’s good form, franked again yesterday by Penpel winning convincingly at Warwick Farm. It bumped into the same horse.
“He bumps into a good one here in the impressive Hawkesbury winner, Hidden Motive, but I think he can run very well.”
Cummings, who returns to the public training ranks in August, is still awaiting news on his application to takeover Randwick’s Leilani Lodge stables, where he, his father, Anthony, and grandfather, Bart, have trained.
At Eagle Farm, Cummings has group 1 hopes with the consistent Lavalier and Pinito in the Queensland Derby and Oaks respectively.
“Lavalier brings Derby form from Adelaide, which I really like heading into a Queensland Derby,” he said. “He’s had that good experience there racing over a mile and a half, and we’ve given him plenty of time. He’s really gone to the next level his past couple, and with a good gap between runs, he’s brighten right back up.
“We tried to do the right thing by Pinito after that huge effort at the Gold Coast on that bottomless track. There was a lot to like about the style of that victory and we’ve given her a good gap between runs. She’s responded well and she looks fit, fresh and cherry-ripe for the Oaks.”
Pride team ready to take Flight on rain-affected Randwick track
Joe Pride is not sure what opposition In Flight will face on Saturday in the listed Bob Charley AO Stakes (1100m) at Randwick, but he is certain she “will take some beating” on what is likely to be a wet track.
In Flight was a $4 Sportsbet equal favourite on Thursday for the feature event after breaking through at stakes level last start in the listed Bright Shadow on a heavy Doomben track on May 17. That followed a second behind Pisanello when first up at Canterbury and a runner-up effort to stablemate Dragonstone in the Hawkesbury Gold Rush.
In Flight makes it a hat-trick at Randwick last July.Credit: Getty Images
Pride opted to target the Randwick sprint on Saturday rather than another Queensland feature with his four-year-old mare but others in the Bob Charley are keeping their options open.
With Randwick in the heavy range, Pride was confident In Flight could again figure in the finish.
“She’ll get wet again, which is good,” Pride said. “There’s a bit to play out with that field. There’s a few dual acceptors in Brisbane, so we’ll see, but either way, she’s going to be hard to beat.
“She’s a lovely little mare, loves the wet and she still looks reasonably weighted in this grade, so she’ll take some beating. She’s drawn off the track a little bit in 10, but on the day, I won’t be surprised if they are getting off the fence anyway.”
While a heavy track will be welcome for In Flight, Pride said Accredited was unlikely to run on that going in the ninth.
Still, the Warwick Farm trainer has a strong hand in the race with the resuming Headley Grange ($7) and Estadio Mestalla ($23), and potentially Testator Silens ($26), which was an emergency.
“Headley Grange will run really well and so will Estadio Mestalla, and Testator Silens is ready to do something after having two runs back,” he said. “He’s been going really well. He’s just been crying out for a little bit further and he gets that Saturday.”
He said Headley Grange and Estadio Mestalla were likely working towards country cup Big Dance qualifiers.
“I’m toying with the idea of taking Estadio Mestalla to the South Grafton Cup to get him qualified for the Big or Little Dance,” he said. “He was second in the Little Dance last year so we’ll try to give him another crack at it. Headley Grange, is a probably similar. I’ll probably target another country cup.”
