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By Brad Gray

Kanga’s Eye made a big impression on debut in the Gimcrack Stakes and Ed Cummings is hopeful that the two-year-old filly will in time prove herself of Group One quality.

“She ran second in a stakes race at her only start and has followed that up since with a couple of good trials so she certainly seems above average,” said co-trainer Ed Cummings.

“She has thickened up really nicely. She is much stronger, much more mature and in terms of all of the things you’d like to see from one preparation to the next, she has delivered.”

The daughter of Denman started $81 in the Gimcrack but don’t let that fool you into thinking that the stable haven’t always held her in high regard. TAB punters certainly haven't missed her this time around backing her in to $5.50 after opening $11 on Wednesday afternoon.

Kanga’s Eye Gimcrack second to Jorda

“We thought she was a winning chance and if she hadn’t missed the start as badly as she did, she probably would have won,” Cummings said.

“Going into this Saturday we’ve got an expectation that she’ll handle it all fairly naturally and then improve significantly again.

“Regardless of where she finishes we’ll look to space her runs to get as far into the spring as we possibly can. There is the early Princess Series for her and ultimately for three-year-olds we’d like to give her the chance at running in a race like the Coolmore to see exactly where she sits in the pecking order.”

Meanwhile, Cummings is of the opinion that four-year-old mare Believe is just about ready to show her best at her fourth run back after a lengthy layoff.

“She only had one trial coming into this preparation so first-up she was always going to improve and she got run off her feet. She was very good second-up over 1350m hitting the line nicely,” recalled Cummings.

“The other day she positioned where she has been comfortable in prior preparations and I thought she looked the winner as she rounded the bend but she ran out of steam at the 250m mark which is typically a good indicator that a horse will improve again. If it’s just a case of her knocking up, it’s feasible that she’ll start hitting her straps out to 1800m fourth-up.

“The work that she has put in since her last run has been sensational. She is certainly suggesting that she is not quite done with yet and the temptation of Brisbane is still there providing she runs well.”

Believe's fading last start effort

Crown Him rounds out Anthony and Ed Cummings’ trio of Rosehill runners, dropping back from the Scone Guineas where he ran an inglorious last.

“We decided to bring him back in grade for obvious reasons. The set weights of the Guineas allowed horses like Prized Icon to race on equal terms. I expect him to bounce back from Scone.”

“He has his fair share of ability and based on the work he has put in over the past two weeks he is certainly capable of figuring in the finish providing things go his way. We’ve got a pretty good line on him now and we feel like he is ready to show his best.”

Cummings has of course been around racing all of his life, with the latest chapter seeing him begin a training partnership with his father, but has much changed since his name was added to the door?

“Certainly the scope of responsibly continues to grow. There are still parts of the job I’m learning and trying to develop and eventually master. Training is a continual test but we’ve got a really good support network of owners and staff that have come to the fore and played a big part in the recent success of the stable.”

“The horses are still the reason why we get up in the morning. That passion will never fade in terms of getting the horses to work with you, as my grandfather often said, and not for you.

“It’s been a big year for the stable and me personally. I was recently married and recently partnered with Dad. Hopefully the quality of stock we’ve got in the stable and the quality of horses we’ve got coming through from recent sales help us continue to build that momentum coming into the spring.”

One horse that the stable will be particularly keen to see return is Man From Uncle who burst onto the scene over the autumn winning the G3 Eskimo Prince Stakes and G2 Hobartville Stakes before running a brave fifth in the G1 Randwick Guineas despite reportedly not handling the track.

“We’ll look at getting him back towards the end of June or maybe even a little bit later to focus on his targets in November.”

Check out the fields, form and replays for Rosehill on Saturday