Group One options will be weighed up by trainer Anthony Cummings after Fontelina returned with a narrow win at Canterbury on Saturday.
Fontelina ($9) was racing for the first time as a gelding in the Ascend Sales Trophies Handicap (1200m) and held off well-supported favourite Said Com ($1.70) who came back at the winner late but couldn’t reel him in.
The margin was a half-head on the line with 1-3/4-lengths to Prosperity Aethon ($26) in third.
Cummings said connections had a decision to make after last preparation, and Saturday’s victory was evidence that they had made the right call to have Fontelina gelded.
Fontelina won a Listed race at Doomben at just his second start as a two-year-old but failed in his next three outings in stakes company.
“His mind really wasn’t on the job (last preparation) and he’d shown himself to be of stakes quality with a very good win at Doomben,” Cummings said.
“The choice was either to have a failing stallion or a successful racehorse. The owners took the right decision. We gelded him and today shows the benefit of that.”
Cummings said Fontelina could head to Melbourne for a feature Group One contest.
“He’s nominated for the Australian Guineas in Melbourne and we put him in the nominations for the Newmarket as well so we’ll have a talk to Blake (Shinn) and just see how it sorts itself out.
“But he’ll find himself in another stakes race in the not too distant future.”
Cummings said the Randwick Guineas (1600m) was also a likely target for Fontelina.
AAP TURF
