3 minute read

European imports dot Australian racing but they don’t usually hail from Hungary.

Not even trainer Anthony Cummings knows what to expect when former Hungarian superstar Nancho makes his Australian debut at Randwick. 

The seven-year-old will race for the first time in almost two years when he contests Saturday's Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) and it has been some journey to get him this far. 

A top galloper in his homeland, Nancho took that form to Germany where he won the 2019 Group 1 Grosser Preis Von Bayern in a performance that put him on Cummings' radar. 

"We basically bought him off that run and it was to do with the depth in that field," Cummings said. 

"The horses that were in that field went on to be competitive at Group One level throughout Europe over the next few months and as time went on, that race became a pivotal race in a lot of Group One races along the way." 

Nancho's journey to Australia was complicated by the worldwide pandemic. 

He had to travel via Germany, where he remained in training for three months before landing in Australia on the eve of last year's spring carnival. 

Shortly after arriving he contracted a virus and his coat turned, so Cummings put him in the paddock and gave him plenty of time and non-racing preparations to build him back up. 

Five barrier trials later, the 11-time winner from 18 starts is ready for the races. 

And if his trials have been inconclusive, his trackwork has been intriguing. 

While Australian horses are trained to start steady and sprint home, Nancho has a high-cruising speed. 

"Here, they're all taught to go fifteen to the furlong and when they get to the point they accelerate from, there is a good change up (in time) and you can see all that and get your guide from there," Cummings said. 

"This guy can run extraordinary times in a gallop but it's almost from the get-go, so there is no obvious change up. 

"But there is a change. When you see the times on a piece of paper, he has got quicker but he does it off a faster base." 

The Randwick horseman is unsure how that will translate under race conditions, so he is heading into Saturday, and indeed the spring, with an open mind. 

Nancho has been entered for all the major races and the Chelmsford Stakes will be an important guide to his spring credentials. 

For his trainer, as much as punters. 

"We get to see where Hungary meets Australia," Cummings said.