James Cummings regards Thermosphere’s win in the Edward Manifold Stakes as a confidence-booster for the filly going into the Thousand Guineas.
Cummings said he had little hesitation backing her up a week after her win at Group Two level at Flemington after the way she pulled up.
“She has been marching around the stables this week like she owns the place,” Cummings said.
Cummings said he felt Thermosphere had been building towards winning a race like the Edward Manifold Stakes, so he wasn’t surprised by her performance.
The style in which she did it justified his decision to start her against the top fillies in Saturday’s Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield.
He said Thermosphere would also be better for the experience of racing in the anti-clockwise direction for the first time.
“It was encouraging how well she handled her first time going in this direction in the Manifold, also switching onto her Melbourne leg was no problem for her,” Cummings said.
At Flemington last week, the three-year-old started from barrier 11 and was trapped wide throughout but Cummings believed she would get a much more economical run from barrier two on Saturday.
“She handles a wet track, we couldn’t be much happier,” Cummings said.
