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By Ray Hickson

Glamour Godolphin colt Anamoe takes an important step towards his major Star Championships mission at Rosehill on Saturday and trainer James Cummings says there’s every reason to think he can get the job done.

Godolphin trainer James Cummings (Pic: Bradley Photos).

Cummings declared his intention to target the Group 1 $4m Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) on April 9, the autumn’s premier weight-for-age contest, looking to go one better than in the Cox Plate from the spring.

He shares the top line of betting with TAB on the carnival's flagship race at $6 alongside Zaaki and Verry Elleegant.

“We’re pretty keen on that race (Queen Elizabeth Stakes) as a somewhat of a grand final for him in the autumn,’’ Cummings said on TAB Radio on Thursday.

“We talked about some of the options again during the week about what might lie ahead for him for The Championships and it’s looking more and more likely the Queen Elizabeth will be the race.

“In the short term, we have to be quite confident we’ve got him right for this weekend and make sure everything sails along smoothly before we saddle him up for this Group 2.”

The Group 2 $400,000 Petaluma Hobartville Stakes (1400m) is the race in question and it’s one that Cummings has used successfully as a Group 1 stepping stone in the past – first in partnership with grandfather Bart Cummings with Hallowed Crown (2015) then again with Kementari for Godolphin in 2018.

Both would go on to claim the Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) at their next starts and that’s very much Anamoe’s short term aim. He's $2.50 favourite with TAB in the $1 million March 5 feature.

Anamoe made his 2022 debut with a defeat in the Group 2 Expressway Stakes over 1200m but Cummings knew that was always going to be a risk and under the circumstances of the day, where near the fence and in front was an advantage, he couldn’t have been happier.

Punter’s Intelligence recorded the colt’s sectionals to be 33.29 for the last 600m, over a length faster than the next best, as he closed to within a length of all the way winner Overpass.

“He’s come on beautifully, we’ve stuck to our program with him and I’m really pleased with the way he’s trained on so well,’’ he said.

“It’s been problem-free getting to the Hobartville (Stakes), pretty important to lay that good groundwork for what’s going to be ahead of him.

“He was racing pretty good six furlong horses. There’s nothing wrong with the form from the run first-up. We were a bit disappointed not to win but we were very pleased with the colt.”

Cummings said Anamoe, $1.75 with TAB on Thursday, will be a lot better suited back to set weights against his own age and up to 1400m.

It’s been six years since Astern handed Godolphin its only Silver Slipper to date, under John O’Shea’s care, and Cummings has a pair of youngsters in Ojai and Spacewalk he feels have the talent to be competitive on Saturday.

Ojai, winner of the Kirkham Plate on debut, has a bit of ground to make up on favourite Queen Of The Ball out of their clash in the Group 3 Widden Stakes (1100m) three weeks ago but Cummings believes she can.

Anamoe runs third at Rosehill on January 29

“She did get beaten over five lengths in the Widden but she was solid to the line once she got into the clear and I think she can improve vastly on that effort,’’ he said.

“I think she’s going to take lots of improvement from the first-up effort. We left improvement in her deliberately and she will give herself the opportunity to show she’s capable of taking on the best of them.”

The filly was $9 with TAB on Thursday in the Group 2 $250,000 Fujitsu General Silver Slipper (1100m) while stablemate Spacewalk, $18, will have to overcome the outside alley.

Cummings felt there were excuses for Spacewalk first-up when he ran a close third in the Lonhro Plate two weeks ago but concedes he will need some favours.

“He has not drawn an ideal barrier but I think he’s got something to offer and I think he could run a good race,’’ he said.

“He was leading on the fence first-up at Randwick and you really wanted to be two or three (horses) off the fence that day having had rain in the morning with the rail in the true (position).”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Rosehill meeting