When it comes to boom colt Smart Missile, trainer Anthony Cummings is just about talked out.
“There’s nothing much more to say now, it’s time for him to come out and do the talking on the track,” Cummings said.
The three-year-old will make his highly-anticipated return in the Group Three Run To The Rose (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
There has been plenty of build-up to the race, mostly his clash with two-time Group One winner Helmet who will resume for Darley trainer Peter Snowden.
Cummings has prepared a number of top-class horses including the likes of Group One winners Road To Rock, Casino Prince and Hotel Grand.
But he rates Smart Missile as, potentially, the most exciting.
“I think so. When they’ve shown as much as he has and he’s got a great record, that gets everyone excited.”
So much so that jockey Glen Boss has rated him one of the most promising three-year-olds he has ridden.
Cummings has been quoted as saying he “will be surprised the day he gets beaten”.
And punters agree, for this weekend at least, jumping in to take the $2.30 TAB Sportsbet put up initially and forcing his quote into $1.75 to make him a standout favourite for The Run To The Rose.
Cummings wasn’t backing away from past superlatives but he was more measured in his assessments this week.
“It’s easy to make rash statements when they’re pretty good,” Cummings said.
“But he’s a good horse in the right race on Saturday.”
Smart Missile has raced just twice for two wins and remains the only horse to have beaten Golden Slipper winner Sepoy, which he did in the Todman Stakes.
He didn’t get the chance to repeat the dose in the Slipper, getting as far as the starting stalls where he became cast and was dramatically scratched at the barrier.
Despite that incident, Cummings has no nerves about Smart Missile loading and jumping cleanly on Saturday.
“He’ll be fine. I don’t think he is any more or less likely to do anything wrong than any other horse,” he said.
“It was a bit of an anomaly on Slipper day.”
Smart Missile had his last serious piece of work on Tuesday and since then Cummings has simply kept him up to the mark.
“He’s in good shape,” Cummings said.
AAP TURF
