The market suggests his father and his son have a better chance of winning the Australian Guineas but Anthony Cummings has numbers on his side heading into the Group One race.
Cummings has three runners in Saturday’s Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington headed by Victoria Derby placegetter and first-up Group Two winner Thunder Fantasy.
Surge Ahead, Damien Oliver - Photo by Sharon Chapmam
He also has stakes winner Surge Ahead and Group-placed Alpha Beat, while the training partnership of Bart and James Cummings will start one of the favourites, Eurozone.
Anthony Cummings says his three all deserve their chances.
A Victoria Derby third and Group Two Autumn Stakes (1400m) win has Cummings convinced Thunder Fantasy is up to mixing it with the best in Saturday’s race.
“He proved in the Derby he was up to the Guineas standard, running third and meeting all the right ones there,” Cummings said.
“There’s no issues with him being up to the standard.”
Five horses have won the Autumn Stakes and gone on to win the Guineas since its inception in 1986, most recently Light Fantastic in 2008.
Cummings said either Thunder Fantasy or Surge Ahead could back up in the Group One Australian Cup (2000m) depending on how they perform on Saturday.
Surge Ahead won over 1800m in Listed company during the Melbourne spring at Flemington and finished seventh in the CS Hayes Stakes, won by Guineas favourite Hucklebuck.
“He got a fair bit of dirt and grass down his throat in that race,” Cummings said.
“It’s hard to know what it cost him, but it wouldn’t have helped.
“He was coughing a lot after the run and he was scoped on course and all that was down there was half of Flemington.
“That’s all cleared up and he’s healthy and well and in a pretty good spot.”
Cummings believes Alpha Beat earned his chance in the Guineas with his performance last week behind Vilanova when he sustained a long run to finish third.
“It was a tough run but he’s come out of it well,” the trainer said.
Thunder Fantasy is the leading chance of the Cummings trio at $13 with the other two at $61.
The Bart and James Cummings-trained Eurozone is second favourite at $4.40 on the back of a closing first-up second to Moment Of Change in the CF Orr Stakes.
