Co-trainer James Cummings has revealed that promising filly Sultry Feeling will likely have her next race start in the Group 2 Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick on September 20 and remains a chance of making her Group 1 debut in the Flight Stakes(1600m) at the same venue on October 4.
Sultry Feeling resumed with a promising effort behind Winx in the 2014 Furious Stakes. Photo by: Steve Hart
Sultry Feeling returned to the races with a comfortable win in the Ranvet Handicap (1100m) at Canterbury on August 20 and she was far from disgraced when fourth behind Winx in the Group 2 Furious Sakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick last weekend.
Cummings told Racing Ahead this morning that there are plenty of options for Sultry Feeling during the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival, but at this stage he plans to keep the filly in the Princess Series in Sydney, despite concerns she will not be able to run out a strong mile in the Flight Stakes.
“She could go a number of ways,” Cummings said.
“I think at this point in time we are satisfied that she could just run in the Tea Rose next start, but there is a feeling that she may be better kept to the sprints or she may be sent to Melbourne.
“They are going to just access her on her work and how she handles the build-up in training and more towards the 1400 metres of the Tea Rose with the temptation of the Flight Stakes also being there.
“On pedigree Gooree aren’t so confident that she can run out a strong mile, but we will let ourselves be judged by how she runs in the Tea Rose.”
Team Cummings have had a promising start to the 2014 Spring Racing Carnival and they have a strong hand at Rosehill Gardens this weekend; with Hallowed Crown one of the leading contenders for the Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) and Shamalia expected to run well in the Group 3 Sheraco Stakes (1200m).
Veteran stayer Precedence is also set to start his spring campaign in the Listed The Sofitel (1400m) at Flemington on Saturday and Cummings said that he is happy with the progress of the nine-year-old as he heads towards a fourth run in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m).
“We are going to run him and get him underway,” Cummings said.
“Chad Schofield is going to be jockey, he jumped him out and was happy with him.
“He will most likely step straight to the JRA straight after that and with the horse that won the Dato’ Tan (The Cleaner) on the weekend, you would expect that to be a strongly run 2000 metre race and that will suit our horse.
“He just seems to be ticking along nicely and he seems to be as good as ever.”
Precedence is currently available at 2014 Melbourne Cup odds of $101 with Ladbrokes Australia.
