Broadsiding claims Group 1 Champagne Stakes
James Cummings has trained his second winner in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m), with Broadsiding (+220) claiming victory at Randwick on Saturday.
It’s the first victory in this race as a trainer for the Blue Army, having previously training Prized Icon to victory in the 2016 edition, with Broadsiding producing a similar preparation on the one-week backup from the Listed Fernhill Stakes (1600m) last Saturday.
It proved to be a master stroke by Cummings to avoid the first two legs of the Triple Crown, biding their time to unleash the son of Too Darn Hot later in the Autumn campaign.
The race unfolded as most expected, with the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Anode (+1000) heading straight to the front under Adam Hyeronimus, while the drifting Linebacker (+320) sat to his outside.
Manaal (+160) cruised into the one-one under Jamie Kah, while Broadsiding was allowed to get into a rhythm in the back-half of the field by James McDonald, setting a might task two-year-old.
Linebacker gave a bold kick as they headed for home, but just as he was getting the upper hand, Broadsiding clicked into gear, justifying the firm to score a dominant victory.
2024 Group 1 Champagne Stakes Replay – Broadsiding
James Cummings was elated with the win and spoke to what it means to secure a two-year-old Group 1 win for the European progeny.
“This is a big deal for the farm, to get the first two-year-old colt to win a Group One this season is amazing,” said Cummings.
“I just begged James (McDonald) to ride the horse that way and it’s really paid off.
“He’s performed so strongly. He loved that quick back-up. He’s excelled once he’s got to a mile and that’s the class of the European pedigree coming through, and that told in the finish.
“He’s been a real work in progress. He’s the type of horse that has improved with a lot of experience, a lot of handling. We took him for a trip to Melbourne and back. A lot of that travelling has helped wake him up and mature the horse.
“He’s just got this very interesting future about him, being by Too Darn Hot who is an emerging sire for us. He (Too Darn Hot) was a colt raced by Andrew Lloyd Webber for John Gosden and he was an exceptional two-year-old himself.
James McDonald secured his 95th Group 1 win aboard Broadsiding and gave full credit on tactics to the Cummings team.
“It’s not a lot of fun out there but when you win a Group One, I suppose it’s good fun,” said McDonald.
“Gee, he’s a trier. He had it written all over him last start so I came here with good confidence. I thought he would handle the conditions well. He was a nice, fit horse.
“Sometime I do what I’m told, and sometimes I don’t. He left us with no real option. It was just get back and brush home and if you handle it, you handle it. Race tactics don’t really get involved there. You’re either on a horse that can handle it, or if you’re not you’re cast.”