Cascadian blows away his rivals in Group 1 Australian Cup
After a massive run in the $5 million All Star Mile at Moonee Valley last Saturday, Cascadian has backed up into the Group 1 Australian Cup and won his first Group 1 at Flemington.
The win in the Australian Cup goes with his other Group 1 wins in the Doncaster Handicap and All Aged Stakes.
James Cummings has trained his star gelding to the minute and he was breath taking when he let down on the outside, picking up the eventual runner-up Numerian in the final 100m of the 2000m event.
As soon as Cummings and his team confirmed that the son of New Approach would back up into the Australian Cup, he was backed into favouritism with online bookmakers and he remained the favourite all the way up until the jump, although he did drift out to $3.80 in the final minutes before the feature event of the day at Flemington.
After setting a very quick tempo, Numerian and Smokin’ Romans must be credited for sticking on to finish in second and fourth, respectively, while Pounding looked the winner at the 200m mark before Cascadian went straight by him like he was standing still.
2023 Australian Cup Replay – Cascadian
After Cascadian’s big win in the Group 1 Australian Cup, his trainer James Cummings spoke post-race.
“He deserves another big Group 1,” Cummings said.
“He’s a wonderful horse and he’s a credit to his Highness Sheikh Mohammed to be winning a big weight-for-age race on a big day in Melbourne at Flemington and I’m just so proud of the entire team.
“He’s a great horse Cascadian, he’s now a Doncaster winner, an All Aged Stakes winner and he pops the Australian Cup on his mantle.
“I suppose I could run the horse in three weeks in the All Aged – he’s so adaptable, he’d run well – but that is looking like one of the races of the carnival.
“I don’t mind the idea of laying away in the Queen Elizabeth and saving for him for a turn of foot and if he gets through he gets through and he might give the Japanese horse a scare.
“One thing about Cascadian, he beat Montefilia third-up last prep over 2000 by further than Dubai Honour.
“He might beat Dubai Honour.”
Ben Melham has ridden a race-to-race double with the win on Cascadian as well as a riding treble, and he spoke post-race about his 19th Group 1 victory.
“I was confident enough, I had the right hoses in front of me, and we wanted to duck and weave on him because, watching his tapes, we feel that’s how he races best (because) being wide and exposed, he’s had a lot of goes ere at Flemington and he’s never won one,” Melham said.
“He’s such an honest horse and to be on the quick back-up from the mile to the 2000…going to the gates he was that bloody fresh I nearly couldn’t hold him going to the barriers.
“James has done a tremendous job to bring him here in that condition and to back up his All Star Mile run with a sensational win like this is fantastic.
“Jamie (Kah, partner) won the Doncaster on him and I got a bit of advice off her how to ride him and she’s probably in hospital watching – she’s not supposed to be – but she can’t get the Racing.com channel off.
“It was special and more so for the horse as well, he’s been deserving of a Group 1 here at Flemington and what a race to do it in.”