Bigger targets in mind for Andermatt
After another dominant metropolitan win at Randwick, Andermatt has stamped himself as an exciting horse to follow over the next 12 months.
The James Cummings-trained four-year-old started a $1.75 favourite with online bookmakers for the $130,000 Benchmark 94 (1100m) at Royal Randwick and never really looked like losing, careering away to win by almost three lengths under champion jockey James McDonald.
Randwick Race 7 (1100m) April 23, 2022 – Andermatt
The son of Snitzel backed up his monster six-length victory on April 6 at Canterbury with Saturday’s win, which saw McDonald label the gelding’s win as “better than what it looked”.
“It was better than what it looked,” McDonald told Sky Racing post-race.
“I made a long, searching run on him, just so I could get to the spot I needed to get to. Just keeping it simple, but he’s improved so much this horse.”
Having now won five of his nine career starts, McDonald suggested we could see him prove to be a major player in the spring, with a race like The Everest (1200m) a potential target for this up and coming sprinter.
“You know that race? He mightn’t be up to it, but he’s definitely progressing that way,” the jockey said.
“When I hit the front, it was way too early, but I had to do what I do to get to the spot I was in, but I could just feel him idle, then once Dragonstone joined me, he went to another level and scooted away. He will be just as good on soft ground as well, he doesn’t need heavy.”
Andermatt is now likely to head to the Luskin Star Stakes (1300m) at Scone on May 14, a race Godolphin have won three of the last four editions of.
In 2019, Trekking won the Luskin Star, before heading to Queensland and winning the Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) and then running third in The Everest in the same calendar year, while the 2020 winner Ranier used the race to run fifth in the Stradbroke.
Andermatt firmed into $13 with some betting sites for the Stradbroke, while he is into $21 for The Everest in October.