By Ray Hickson
It’s a well known racing cliché to say a horse has come back from their break “bigger and stronger” but as far as Group 1 winning filly She’s Extreme is concerned her trainer Anthony Cummings says she needs to be if she’s to live up to his hopes for the spring.
Fortunately for the Champagne Stakes winner, she’s stacked on 30kg since she downed Golden Slipper winner Fireburn back in April so she’s definitely bigger.
And Cummings said given her greenness at the start of last campaign she’s most definitely stronger.
So that augers well for her spring return in the Group 2 $250,000 Darley Furious Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
“She’s back in good shape, a fair bit stronger and a fair bit heavier,’’ he said.
“It’s a good step up from the two-year-old time. If you’re going to step up the weight-for-age scale says you should have the extra strength to carry that extra weight the scale provides.
“She plainly has that extra strength now.
“When she started off last time she was quite green, didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to chase properly and found a fair bit of trouble in her first few runs.
“Now she goes to the races as a more complete article than her first two or three runs last time.”
She’s Extreme was $6 with TAB on Thursday to kick off her preparation with a win in the Furious Stakes, she’s equal second favourite in the $1m Golden Rose (1400m) in three weeks and $4.50 favourite for the Group 1 Flight Stakes (1600m) a week later.
It’s natural to assume with those longer races in mind that the filly might be in need of the run and/or find the Furious Stakes a little short but Cummings said she’s there ready to run and, if the race pans out in her favour, ready to win.
We’ve seen a fair bit of her in the past couple of weeks to judge her fitness for ourselves with her barrier trial on August 19 and gallop between races, with Tommy Berry up, at Rosehill last weekend.
“Her trial was good, her gallop the other day was good and her gallop on Tuesday was good so off we go to the races,’’ he said.
“Tommy knows her well enough, I’m not going to tell him to be here, there, or anywhere. It depends on how she jumps and what makes sense.
“There’s a fair bit of improvement to come, she needs to race up to (fitness). Hopefully we’re going to be the one that steps up and proves the point about the two-year-old form.”
While it’s next stop Golden Rose for She’s Extreme, it might be worth keeping an eye on stablemate Kote when he attempts to break his maiden status in the Lander Toyota Handicap (1000m) at Hawkesbury on Saturday.
Group 1 winning filly She’s Extreme, with @TommyBerry21 in the saddle, gallops between races at Rosehill. She clocked 34.47 for her last 600m. @tabcomau @CummingsRacing pic.twitter.com/8at6Zwa2hG
— Racing NSW (@racing_nsw) August 27, 2022
The three-year-old wasn’t able to be fully tested when he resumed at Kensington last month and Cummings points out Kote is still among the Golden Rose entries.
“He’s a pretty nice horse and he’s back better as a gelding,’’ he said.
“I thought he should have won first-up in a race that will have some depth to it as the carnival goes on. He has ability for sure, race craft he lacks a bit of.
“Even if he does get it wrong he should be able to be in the finish and take it from there.”
All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Randwick meeting