Former top stayer Roman Emperor has pleased trainer Bart Cummings ahead of his return from injury at Flemington.
Cummings is targeting next month’s Doncaster Mile (1600m) with the 2009 AJC Australian Derby winner who will have his first start in nearly a year in Saturday’s Listed First4 Jackpot Stakes (1400m).
He said the five-year-old was sound again after a leg injury and he had given him a good build-up for his comeback.
However the Hall Of Fame trainer stopped short of declaring a first-up win for the entire, respectful of his opposition as the top weight.
“He has got 60kg in a quality handicap and that makes it pretty hard,” Cummings said.
“He is working like a Group One winner, which he is, and I think he will run a good race but it might be a bit hard to win first-up over 1400 metres with that weight.”
Roman Emperor has never won in four first-up runs and lost form last autumn after finishing second to his ill-fated stablemate Viewed in the 2009 Caulfield Cup.
“He (Roman Emperor) had a couple of problems, the main one was a leg problem which was corrected and he is very sound now,” Cummings said.
He said Saturday’s race would be one of two runs for the entire before the Doncaster Mile at Randwick on April 16.
AAP TURF