Godolphin’s patience with Andermatt appears set to be rewarded this autumn after the three-year-old resumed with an emphatic victory at Rosehill as hot favourite Vowmaster flopped.
Having his first start since May, Andermatt was given a beautiful trail behind the speed and when a gap presented in the straight, Rachel King sooled him through it to run down leader Vulpine.
The victory drew praise from trainer James Cummings, who said Andermatt had been a work in progress.
“This is a seriously talented colt,” Cummings said.
“He’s got a big future and you’ve just got to learn to work with him.
“(He’s) a colt who we have worked hard on, travelling him around the countryside a bit to keep his mind on the job and keep him interested.
“We’ve resumed him with patience and not chased the best races early on.”
Andermatt’s win in Saturday’s Chandon Handicap (1100m) was only in benchmark grade but Cummings indicated it would be a stepping stone to the better three-year-old races.
King was equally impressed by Andermatt’s performance and said while he was easily distracted prior to the race, he switched on once the barriers opened.
“He is really focused once he’s out of the gates,” she said.
“He does a little squeal in there and he’s a bit colty but that just shows how good he is.
“He’s not quite there yet and he is still putting them away quite comfortably.”
Andermatt ($3.70) ran down Vulpine ($12) to score by a neck with Sapphire Crown ($17) another three lengths away.
Vowmaster came into the race unbeaten in two Victorian runs and was sent out a $1.90 favourite but jockey James McDonald said he did not stretch out in the wet ground after over-racing in the early stages.
“Even though I was wide I was happy with the spot I was in,” McDonald told stewards.
“He just didn’t sprint on that heavy ground.”
