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By Ray Hickson

Godolphin trainer James Cummings has sounded an ominous warning that star colt Anamoe has improved significantly going into Saturday’s Group 1 $1m XXXX Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill – but says there’s still a race to be won.

Trainer James Cummings (Pic: Steve Hart).

The lead up to the Golden Rose has been a lot smoother than Anamoe experienced going into his Run To The Rose win two weeks ago and that gives Cummings confidence.

“Anamoe has had a really straightforward fortnight and he absorbed that run in the Run To The Rose beautifully,’’ he said on Radio TAB on Thursday.

“As James (McDonald) alluded when he came back to us with the ride he gave the horse he was able to look after him late. He was mindful the horse didn’t have as solid grounding going into the race as we would have liked.

“It sets up well for him to be going to another level second-up in the Golden Rose up to 1400m.

“He looks every bit the type of customer that is going to relish that extra furlong and travel at that seven furlong pace early, and just rise to a new level as he gets up to Group 1 level at set weights.”

The Golden Rose of 2014 was James Cummings’ first Group 1 win, he prepared Hallowed Crown in partnership with his legendary grandfather Bart, and Bivouac gave him a second win in the race five years later.

The Run To The Rose has proven a reliable guide to the Golden Rose over the years with Bivouac (2019), Astern (2016) and Exosphere (2015) completing the double for Godolphin, while Hallowed Crown and Denman (2009) also achieved that feat.

Anamoe gave a taste of what he can do in his only attempt at 1400m when he ran away with the Inglis Sires’ in the autumn but Cummings regards the Golden Rose as a stronger race and says the colt will need to be on his game.

“There’s no issue that he’s got the right form for the race but I think it will be a good contest on the weekend and he needs to well and truly rise to the challenge,’’ he said.

“We can’t be anything but very happy with the way he has returned as a three-year-old. He’s only one of two horses that are second-up in this race so he is open to further improvement."

Anamoe is one of four Godolphin charges still in the mix for the stable’s TAB Everest slot – the others being Trekking, Paulele and Ingratiating – and Cummings said this weekend is crucial in their decision making with three of the four in action.

He’s the $2 favourite with TAB on Thursday in Golden Rose betting and sits on the $15 line for the TAB Everest.

“There’s a bit to play out in that sphere at the moment,’’ he said.

“We’re planning for him to have a relatively light spring, it just depends on what’s ahead of him after this Golden Rose.”

The horse Anamoe ran down to win the Run To The Rose was In The Congo and that’s a source of confidence for Cummings about stablemate Paulele who resurfaces after a month’s break in the Listed $140,000 Petaluma Heritage Stakes (1100m).

Anamoe wins the Run To The Rose at Kembla Grange

Paulele put 2-1/2 lengths on In The Congo in winning the Rosebud first-up then was narrowly beaten by that colt in the San Domenico Stakes on August 28.

Cummings said he’s freshened up well and is ready to tell the team where his next step should be. Paulele is also on the $15 line in the TAB Everest.

“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the form, it all stacks up nicely, and I think there’s no shame in being beaten by some of these good three-year-olds because I think they are the best of the best going around at the moment,’’ he said.

It’ll be up to James McDonald to get the steering right from Paulele’s tricky gate of 10 but Cummings said the colt has versatility on his side.

“He can either be up there right on the speed or be ridden more conservatively,’’ he said.

“From a wide barrier James McDonald is going to have a decision to make.”

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