A win in the Eskimo Prince Stakes in Sydney over the weekend has set the Anthony Cummings-trained Man From Uncle on a Group 1 mission in the Randwick Guineas 2017.
Eskimo Prince Stakes winner Man From Uncle targets the Randwick Guineas 2017 this Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival. Photo: Steve Hart.
The progressive Uncle Mo gelding enjoyed his second win from four career starts when scoring an upset at a $14 starting price on Saturday in Sydneyâs $150,000 Group 3 Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m).
Stepping out in Group company for the first time in the Breeders Classic Day support act, Man From Uncle was ridden to his quarter-length victory by Jason Collett.
He beat home the Kris Lees-trained Guard Of Honour ($5) with value added to the Eskimo Prince Stakes trifecta with the close third of Generalissimo ($21) who as only a half-length off the winner.
A $35,000 bargain buy from the 2015 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale Summer Book, Man From Uncle is now Group 1 bound this autumn carnival after defeating some highly-spruiked colts including a half-brother to Criterion Cominâ Through (5th) in the Eskimo Prince.
âIâve always had a very good opinion of this horse, it was just a matter of giving him the time and the experience â he just needed to learn a bit of racecraft,ââ Cummings told The Daily Telegraph post-win on Saturday.
âHe is going to be a good miler, in fact I think his best distance will eventually be 2000m but he had been working so well I told the connections and a few friends to have a bet today.
âEven if [the scratched favourite] Omei Sword was in the race, I would still have been confident about Man From Uncleâs chances.â
Cummings is eyeing a Rosehill run on February 18 in the $400,000 Group 2 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) before a return to Royal Randwick on March 4 in the $1 million Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) with the progressive gelding.
âHe will only improve off this win,â Cummings added.
âI only gave him the one trial going into this race as I wanted to give him a race start before the Hobartville Stakes.
âI was worried if I gave him two trials instead he could have had a gut-buster first-up at 1400m in the Hobartville. He will go into that race in two weeks in very good shape.â
The Hobartville Stakes has produced six of the past seven Randwick Guineas winners including three to complete the double: Ilovethiscity (2011), Dissident (2014) and Hallowed Crown (2015).
The trainer and son of the legendary Bart Cummings has had eight previous Randwick Guineas runners for a second and a win back in 2006 with Hotel Grand.
Despite Cummingsâ confirmation of the Randwick Guineas target, the bookies are also keeping Man From Uncle safe in betting for the $750,000 Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on the same day.
Cummings has saddled-up seven previous runners in the Australian Guineas for two seconds and a third.
Futures Australian Guineas odds at Ladbrokes.com.au remain led by the Chris Waller-trained Omei Sword despite the filly being scratched from her first-up run in the Eskimo Prince Stakes.
She will make a delayed return to the track on Apollo Stakes Day this weekend accompanying her star stablemate Winx on the card.
Winx resumes in the Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m), while Waller has the Group 2 Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) scheduled for last start Golden Rose runner-up Omei Sword.
Man From Uncle meanwhile has firmed notably into a $15 quote in the latest Australian Guineas betting markets to hand Cummings with his maiden win in the autumn mile feature.
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2017 Eskimo Prince Stakes Results
Randwick Race 6 â 04/02/2017
| Place | # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Br. | Wgt. | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | MAN FROM UNCLE | Anthony Cummings | Jason Collett | – | 8 | 56kg | $14 |
| 2 | 2 | GUARD OF HONOUR | Kris Lees | Tommy Berry | 0.3L | 6 | 58kg | $5 |
| 3 | 6 | GENERALISSIMO | Garry White | Tye Angland | 0.5L | 1 | 56kg | $21 |
| 4 | 7 | SPENDING TO WIN | Peter & Paul Snowden | Corey Brown | 0.8L | 7 | 56kg | $3.80 |
| 5 | 1 | COMINâ THROUGH | Chris Waller | Michael Walker | 1.3L | 5 | 58.5kg | $8 |
| 6 | 9 | ON THE SPOT | Clarry Conners | Glyn Schofield | 2L | 2 | 56kg | $21 |
| 7 | 5 | BRYNEICH | John O’Shea | Brenton Avdulla | 2.2L | 4 | 56kg | $3.60F |
| 8 | 4 | BEZEL | John O’Shea | James Doyle | 6.2L | 3 | 56kg | $8 |
| – | 3 | OMEI SWORD | Chris Waller | Hugh Bowman | – | 0 | – | – |