A likely good racing surface has boosted in-form Trekking’s chance to give Godolphin’s Australian operation its eighth Group One win of the season.
Trekking will be joined by stablemates Encryption and Home Of The Brave in the $700,000 Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm.
There was rain in Brisbane early in the week but fine weather in the past few days has the track rated good for Saturday’s meeting.
Godolphin is having a wonderful season by any standards, accumulating $27 million prize money for 2018/19 from its primary domestic stable run by James Cummings.
Sheikh Mohammed’s global operation has also won its first Melbourne Cup with the Charlie Appleby-trained Cross Counter and claimed the Caulfield Cup (Best Solution) and Caulfield Stakes (Benbatl) both trained by Saeed bin Suroor.
The mainstay in feature races this year for Godolphin has been its two-year-olds but Cummings believes it is time for the older horses to stand up and be counted.
Cummings gives Trekking a great chance of winning, especially on his preferred dry surface.
Trekking has won his past two starts in the Hall Mark Stakes at Randwick and the Luskin Star Stakes at Scone.
“From his last seven runs on good tracks he’s won six. There’s some very good performers among the horses he’s beaten and I think he is up to a race like the Cup,” Cummings said.
Kerrin McEvoy will be reunited with Trekking and the gelding could also be his Stradbroke Handicap ride.
Cummings is also giving Encryption, who has been trialling well for a first-up tilt, a top chance on a good track.
“He’s been burning along, showing his appreciation for the patient approach we’ve taken with him since his last run,”Cummings said
“We’ve been waiting for this race. He’s had a month between runs, he’s trained well and had a couple of nice pipe-openers at the trials.
“He’s ready for the step up to 1,300 metres and he’s ready to run well.”
Cummings said Home Of The Brave, who like his stablemates is Stradbroke bound, would appreciate some give in the track.
“There’s a threat of rain and if it came his chances would be enhanced,” Cummings said.
“He ran in the Hall Mark Stakes first-up and that’s a race that has become a very good form race.”
