Duais has given young trainer Edward Cummings his first major with a dominant performance in the Queensland Oaks.
He carries one of the most famous surnames in racing but Edward Cummings has taken the long, hard road to saddle up his first Group 1 winner.
In a daring training performance, Cummings backed himself and his filly Duais, producing her off a seven-week break between races to clinch an extraordinary Queensland Oaks victory at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
A grandson of the legendary Bart Cummings, son of trainer Anthony and brother of Godolphin’s head conditioner James, Edward Cummings well and truly has racing in his blood.
But after deciding to branch out on his own a couple of seasons ago, the young horseman had to start from the ground up, making Saturday’s triumph all the more satisfying.
“There is something about this game that makes you want to get up the next day and work harder and be bigger and stronger and prove it again and again,” Cummings said.
“While I’m very thankful for the opportunity – I’m absolutely thrilled with today’s result – I know there is a lot of hard work left in front of us.
“No-one really knows what their future holds, all you can really do is your best and we’ve worked our butts off and I hope many people understand (that).
“We started from zero, we had no horses in the stable and we built that up day by day, week by week, month by month and kept believing in ourselves and here we are.
“I’d like to think the same work ethic will carry us a long way into the future.”
Duais had not raced since finishing second to Hungry Heart in the Australian Oaks at Randwick on April 17.
However, Cummings was confident in his decision to gap her runs after she won at Warwick Farm in March using a similar tactic.
Hugh Bowman allowed the $2.80 favourite to find her feet in Saturday’s 2200m race and she stormed down the outside to quickly put the result beyond doubt, scoring by 2-1/2 lengths over Charms Star ($8) with Signora Nera ($19) third.
It was the top jockey’s 99th Group 1 win and he was thrilled to deliver Cummings his first having enjoyed a long association with the family.
“I’ve ridden Group One winners for Bart Cummings, Anthony Cummings, James Cummings and now Edward,” Bowman said.
“It’s of no surprise this filly has done this and I think the best is still ahead of her. I’m not going to make any wild predictions, but she is an immature three-year-old filly.
“Edward deserves all the accolades, to have the patience not to run her between runs and to deliver her here in a Group One race with a huge space between runs shows enormous maturity beyond his years as a horse trainer.
“This is the beginning of a very bright future for him.”
