Trader sharp enough to make the cut, says Cummings
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday December 18, 2009
ANTHONY CUMMINGS is leaning towards promising four-year-old Trader stepping up in grade to tackle the Razor Sharp Handicap at Randwick on Saturday.Cummings accepted in both the Razor Sharp and the Randwick Betting Auditorium Handicap with the last start Rosehill winner, but the trainer said the $100,000 Razor Sharp is the likely choice."We think he's pretty good and he's drawn the inside in the Razor Sharp," Cummings said on Thursday."It's a rise in class for him, but he's shown plenty of talent in his four starts. He's ready to step up to the mark."Apprentice Brenton Avdulla has been booked to ride Trader in the Razor Sharp, a non-claiming race, but Chris Munce will ride Trader should Cummings change tack and head to the other race.Cummings also has Supernova (Avdulla) in the Randwick Betting Auditorium Handicap.And Vardon Flyer, an acceptor in the Villiers Stakes, is instead likely to contest the 2000m The Chandon on the way to the Tatts Cup at Randwick on New Year's Day.Marconi's hat-trick runThe Mick Price-trained three-year-old Marconi is out to make it three wins from as many starts when stepping out in the Fiesta Star Handicap at Flemington on Saturday, but fellow trainer Mark Kavanagh may well be the knockout hope.Marconi has dominated from the front in two runaway victories at Stony Creek and Caulfield, but Kavanagh will unleash hype horse We're Gonna Rock in the Flemington race with Michael Rodd to ride."I rode him in a gallop the other morning and he gave me a nice feel," said Rodd, who will ride We're Gonna Rock at 54.5 kilograms. "Marconi is obviously the horse to beat, his form can't be faulted, but I'm hoping We're Gonna Rock can make a race of it."Rodd will also ride French Secret for Kavanagh in the Skipton Handicap, but the form galloper has to contend with a horror draw.Meanwhile, Rodd will head to New Zealand on New Year's Day to ride the Gary Portelli-trained Gold Trail in the group 1 Railway Handicap.If Gold Trail performs well in that race the sprinter will stay in New Zealand to contest the group 1 $NZ1 million ($800,000) Telegraph Handicap at Trentham on January 23.Deltona sure to startDeltona is a definite runner in the Randwick Betting Auditorium Handicap at Randwick on Saturday despite a bungle resulting in it being scratched for a short period after acceptances were taken on Thursday."The horse was inadvertently scratched after acceptances were taken," Racing NSW chief steward Ray Murrihy said."It was taken out about 10 minutes after the fields were declared when trainer Kevin Moses tried to declare Kody Nestor as its rider. It was reinstated in the field straight away when the error was detected."Brown loves mountMelbourne Cup-winning jockey Corey Brown is out to continue his winning run at Randwick on Saturday with Love And Kisses in the group 2 $150,000 Villiers Stakes.Love And Kisses is trained by premiership leader Chris Waller and is coming off an unlucky effort in the Festival Stakes at Rosehill."She seems to be going pretty well," Brown said on Thursday."It's not exactly a vintage Villiers field, it's a pretty open race. If she runs up to her best then she is going to be right in the thick of things."Brown will ride the Clarry Conners-trained Dorf Command in the Razor Sharp Handicap with the mare having to contend with an outside draw."She's come back from a spell in good shape," Brown said. "She won well two starts ago then wasn't beaten far at her second run back. She'll need a bit of luck from the wide draw but she'll be finishing hard."Brown links with trainer Gerald Ryan in the opening race, the Inglis Nursery, partnering first starter Courgette.
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald
