Badajoz is favourite to give James Cummings his first stakes win for Godolphin in the Ramornie Handicap but a wide barrier may tempt the stable to run him in another sprint at the Northern Rivers carnival.
Cummings took over as Sheikh Mohammed’s head trainer in Australia on Saturday and met with instant success when two-year-old Manicure won at Warwick Farm.
Badajoz drew barrier 17 in a field of 16 plus four emergencies for Wednesday’s Listed Ramornie (1200m), a race his mother Jerezana won in 2011.
Despite the wide gate, Badajoz heads the Luxbet’s Ramornie market at $4 but is also favourite at $2.80 for Thursday’s Sir James Kirby Quality (1000m) in which he has barrier four.
Corey Brown has been booked to ride in whichever race Godolphin selects while Grant Buckley has the ride on stablemate Mogador, a $13 chance in the Ramornie.
Calanda is the $4.60 second elect in the Ramornie with her Peter and Paul Snowden-trained stablemate Flippant at $6.
Winter surprise packet Supply And Demand is the $3 favourite for the Grafton Cup (2350m) on Thursday as he attempts to put together four consecutive wins for trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
He dispelled any doubts about his ability to stay with his victory in the Caloundra Cup last time out on July 1 at his first attempt at 2400 metres.
The Chris Waller-trained Montauk, who finished third behind Supply And Demand over 1800m at Rosehill on June 17 before his second to Gallic Chieftain in the Winter Cup (2400m), is at $4.60 with Brown to ride.
