A black-type winter Wednesday is outside of the norm for punters but the rescheduling of the feature race from last Saturday’s washed-out meeting at Randwick is shaping as an opportunity for favourite backers and James Cummings to nail the Civic Stakes.
The $200,000 listed event over 1400-metres will be run at Warwick Farm for the first time in the race’s 75-year history and the Godolphin team have firming $3.70 chance Tamerlane set to improve on the gelding’s last start disappointment at Scone.
Finishing ninth in the Listed Luskin Star Stakes (1300m) on May 18 – albeit less than four-lengths off the winner Coastwatch who then went on to finish second behind the promising Freedom Rally in the Listed The Wayne Wilson (1600m) at Eagle Farm 10 days ago – Cummings says that a sharpen up winning trial between runs has the six-year-old ready to go to take on his pet distance that has delivered four of his nine wins to-date.
“Second-up from a spell (on Wednesday), he faded first-up at Scone after racing on pace,” Cummings said.
“He has since been back to the trials where he performed well.”
That trial was on a track rated Heavy 8 at Rosehill on June 11 and with the current report having the Warwick Farm surface at Heavy 9, that is the likely outcome given around six millimetres of rain is forecast in the lead-up to the meeting.
However, the top weight of 59.5-kilos will present a challenge as James Mcdonald hops aboard for the first time since Tamerlane finished fourth in the Group 2 The Damien Oliver (1400m) at Flemington in November.
Despite the impost Tamerlane firmed from $4 with betting apps through Monday to notch his first win in just three outings since winning The Buffering at Doomben on December 30.
“He has drawn ideally in barrier 1 and strips much fitter now. He looks well-placed here and should prove hard to beat,” Cummings added.
Tamerlane’s nearest rival across markets is the Joe Pride-trained Estadio Mestalla at $5.
