A strong exhibition gallop has Godolphin’s Group One winning sprinter Impending ready to start his road to a stud career on a winning note at Doomben.
Impending won the 2017 Group One Stradbroke Handicap (1350m) at Doomben and is on course to become only the eighth horse to win the race in consecutive years.
By top sire Lonhro out of the Group One-winning mare Mnemosyne, will stand at Sheikh Mohammed’s Northwood Park Stud in the next breeding season.
He resumes in the Group Two Victory Stakes (1200m) at Doomben at his first run since finishing third in the Darley Classic at Flemington in the spring.
Trainer James Cummings has orchestrated Impending’s return carefully and is confident he will race well.
“Impending showed a heap of speed in his gallop at Osborne Park on Tuesday morning,” Cummings said.
“After his exhibition gallop on the weekend at Randwick, he really looks set and ready to go first-up from a decent spell.”
“We last saw him running beautifully against the best weight-for-age sprinters in the country in the Darley Classic at the end of the spring in Melbourne.”
Cummings had a few options for Impending’s return but elected to come north first up.
“I think this is a really nice introduction to his preparation which is going to hold plenty of promise for the stable with a horse like him who has a little bit left to do before he retires to the breeding barn,” Cummings said.
Multiple Group One-winning jockey Damian Browne will ride Impending and another Godolphin horse, Marsupial, in the three-year-old handicap.
It has been an inconsistent season for Browne who is well down the jockeys’ lists but burst back to win the Listed Princess Stakes on Improvise at Caloundra.
“I won on Old North for Godolphin earlier this year and I have had a long association with them going back to the days I rode for Peter Snowden when he was in charge,” Browne said.
“I have also ridden winners for James (Cummings) so I am looking forward to it.”
