Just a few months after the retirement of dual Group 1 winner She’s Extreme, Anthony Cummings is set to unveil another handy daughter of top stallion Extreme Choice in Rosehill debutante Extreme Diva.
The youngster will line up in the Widden Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday off the back of two handy trial placings behind $2.25 betting apps favourite Lady Of Camelot.
While Cummings says there are no physical similarities between Extreme Diva and She’s Extreme, who won the 2022 Champagne Stakes (1600m) and VRC Oaks (2500m) before injury forced her retirement in November, he is adamant the former has her share of talent.
“Different colour, different build, and I suppose with that, different expectation,” Cummings said, before reassessing that thought.
“Different expectation? Maybe not. She is obviously built to be a very good three-year-old. She’s still not fully up in the wither and there’s much improvement to come with her physically.
“But much like She’s Extreme, she has put her hand up as a two-year-old and really enjoys what she is doing.
“The trials have been very good, her work has been very good and she goes there from a good gate (barrier four) to run a pretty good race I’d say.”
A $400,000 Magic Millions buy, Extreme Diva has been a work in progress.
Spelled after posting a win despite over-racing at the official two-year-olds trials in September, Cummings has had his hands full trying to teach her to settle.
He is finally winning that battle and expects her to perform better than her $31 odds suggest.
“Part of the issue we’ve had is trying to get her to slow down and be respectful of the riders,” Cummings said.
“We’ve gotten to that point now.”
The Widden Stakes last provided the Golden Slipper winner in 2014 when Mossfun claimed the double, but the race has been the source of some handy victors since, including multiple Group 1 placegetter Away Game and last year’s winner Learning To Fly.
