Godolphin colt to improve on season start

The new racing season is not yet three weeks old and Godolphin and James Cummings have already made a statement with their three-year-olds.

Paulele and Ingratiating have returned to claim ‘black type’ victories and on Saturday it will be the turn of Athelric to attempt to improve his record in the Listed McKenzie Stakes (1200m) at The Valley.

Athelric may not be in the same class as those two three-year-olds, but he went out for a spell in winning form as a maiden winner at Randwick.

And Athelric has returned to claim a Hawkesbury trial victory which left Cummings and the Godolphin team impressed.

Athelric was up and running early as a two-year-old, appearing in the Breeders Plate and Randwick and to start his second campaign he chased home Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside in a weaker race at Randwick.

“He’s got an interesting form line,” Cummings told RSN.

“He finished fourth behind the Slipper winner but was in a different postcode behind Stay Inside at Randwick.

“We liked his trial and he seems to have developed a bit more in his break.

“I’m not quite sure that he’s up to our good colts but this is a chance for him to test the water against the Melbourne colts.”

Cummings is banking on Athelric’s experience, commencing his third campaign, and lining up for start number six, to hold him in good stead on Saturday.

“It would be interesting to see if this colt could get near those horses like Jigsaw and Hilal and if everything goes perfectly and he gets his perfect storm from barrier one, maybe he could get up and surprise,” Cummings said.

“The thing that he has got going for him is that he’s got experience, a good nature, and he’s big and strong, even though he might be below them on raw ability.”