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By Ray Hickson

James Cummings concedes classy colt Cylinder “got away” with his first-up win but says he’s ready to put his name in lights at Rosehill on Saturday with his Group 1 target looming.

Godolphin trainer James Cummings (Pic: Bradley Photos).

And it seems if the three-year-old keeps winning, and claims the $1m Golden Rose later this month, he could find himself in the $20 million TAB Everest.

The Godolphin head trainer said on SEN that Cylinder may have looked unimpressive in his first-up Vain Stakes win at Caulfield but he’ll take the win and will be a different horse in the Group 2 $300,000 James Squire Run To The Rose (1200m).

“He’s going along beautifully,’’ Cummings said.

“He got away with that first-up win with a narrow victory and he’s improved nicely from that effort. This is perfect up to six furlongs three weeks later.”

The Run To The Rose has been targeted by Godolphin with some of their elite three-year-olds and Cummings has claimed three of the last four with In Secret (2022), Anamoe (2021) and Bivouac (2019).

The blue team were also successful under John O’Shea with Exosphere and Astern in 2015 and 2016.

Nash Rawiller has the ride on Cylinder, with James McDonald out injured, and Cummings said the colt will have every chance to announce himself as the spring force he thinks he’ll be.

“Every year it seems to throw up absolute top line three-year-olds,'' he said.

“There’s not a lot of pace on paper, Libertad’s got to be respected as an undefeated horse.

“He’s not one we should be forgetting for targeting any big time sprint race on the calendar.

“He’s had his crack at a Golden Slipper already, a wonderful effort to run second to Shinzo. Wouldn’t that be interesting finding Cylinder in the Golden Rose against Shinzo first-up from a spell.”

Cylinder was $2.10 favourite with TAB on Thursday and is on the $15 line in the TAB Everest.

Last year’s Run To The Rose winner In Secret is on the fourth line in the Everest at $11 on the back of her slashing first-up second in the Concorde Stakes last week and is considered top seed to take Godolphin's slot.

Cummings elected to save stablemate Zapateo from the Concorde to run in the Group 2 $300,000 Irresistible Pools Sheraco Stakes (1200m) and he feels it’s the right move.

As bullish as he was about the mare’s prospects a week ago he said the Sheraco appears ideal and he tuned her up with a barrier trial earlier this week.

“I think is a very good set up for the mare, she’s come back well,’’ he said.

“She just needed that lung burner (on Tuesday) to ensure she was going to be capable of switching off over six furlongs fresh up.

“She’s very well in at set weights and penalties and we’re expecting her to run a very good race.”

Another exciting finish! 🤯

Cylinder wins the Vain by a pimple! @godolphin @blake_shinn pic.twitter.com/q6QKfO5GYo

— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) August 19, 2023

James Cummings on Marquess (race 5): “He’s pulled up great from his last win. He looks like getting run of the race stuff here and I’ve been very keen to get him out in distance. This will be a very interesting test off a good pace. We’d like to think he’s comfortably fitting in the progressive category. He appears so far to be at least a middle distance horse with a turn of foot.”

On Tom Kitten (race 7): “He looks like being forced to be ridden a lot like he was ridden first-up. He’s quite well weighted, unfortunately he’s going to have to deal with the draw but with the rail back in the true and a big field, hopefully offsetting what looks like a slow pace on paper, it might be a pretty exciting race to watch.”

On Zardozi (race 7): “Hopefully she’s going to start looking good stepping up in distance. She’s got to get back in the game after that first-up run.”

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