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| Staff Writer |
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James Cummings, the head trainer of Godolphin Australia, experienced a mix of emotions as the Gr.2 Run To The Rose Stakes reached its climax at Rosehill. His heart may have stopped momentarily, but it quickly burst back to life when Cylinder, an impressive colt sired by Exceed And Excel, unleashed his explosive speed in the final half furlong of the 1200m race.
Nash Rawiller, Cylinder's jockey, skillfully maneuvered through a congested field of horses, searching for an opening that would allow his mount to breathe. The desired gap didn't appear automatically as they approached the finish line, so Rawiller had to take matters into his own hands. With determination, he exploited a small opening to his left, urging Cylinder to accelerate.
As more space became available, Cylinder unleashed his full potential and surged ahead, securing his second victory of the spring campaign. In his previous start on August 19, he had triumphed in the Gr.3 Vain Stakes at Caulfield by a narrow margin. This time, he extended his lead, crossing the finish line with his neck in front of Monrovia, ridden by Tyler Schiller and trained by Michael Freedman. Nadal finished closely behind in third place.
Looking ahead, Cummings has set his sights on the prestigious Gr.1 Golden Slipper next year for Cylinder. Despite a disappointing seventh-place finish in the Gr.1 Inglis Sires Stakes at Randwick in April on his only ever attempt to tackle the distance in eight career starts.
Cummings said, “I think the Golden Rose looks very nice for the horse. He will have to stretch to seven (furlongs) but two runs under the belt, he can certainly do that.
“We should have our options open for all races. Perhaps it was the run of a horse who shouldn't have won today and yet he managed to find a way to do it and that's the mark of an exceptional horse.
“It's outstanding for Cylinder. He was big first-up and now he's had another good lung burner there so he should be ready to go in a fortnight's time.”
Rawiller added, “Riding these good ones, as long as you don’t make a mistake you’ve still got something up your sleeve!”