3 minute read

Trainer and jockey quotes following the Group 2 Toyota Forklifts Theo Marks Stakes won by Golden Mile at Rosehill on Saturday.

Race Result:

1st: Golden Mile (J Cummings/N Rawiller) - $8.50
2nd: The Inevitable (T Keys/R Maloney) - $13
3rd: Waterford (C Waller/T Schiller) - $10

Winning Time: 1:16.35 Last 600m: 33.33

Margins: Short Neck x Neck

Golden Mile at his brilliant best in the G2 Theo Marks!@nashhot and @JamesCummings88 make it a back-to-back feature double. pic.twitter.com/WsRWHRRRn1

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) September 9, 2023

Winning Trainer: James Cummings

On the potential cost of future stallions putting in bad runs: "The boys do remind me when these Group One winning colts step out to the races and if they put in a couple of below par ones together they do warn me and say 'be careful'. It's good to see him not only run a good race again but to get up and win in a time-honoured race like the Group Two Theo Marks, it's special for a colt who is already a Caulfield Guineas winner. It gets the wrap back on the horse and he's well and truly back up in lights as a Caulfield Guineas winner deserves to be. Son of Astern, he's back on the board and he's in the game."

"He's a really talented colt and unfairly, he's just been a bit forgotten about after the last couple. 

On the run: "He came out humming like a six furlong horse with the blinkers back on, the horse was travelling strongly in the run when he raced first-up and never got the opportunity to let go, 'J Mac' thought he was going to win the race on the day. 

"He's loaded with ability, he's a Caulfield Guineas winner and now he's not just got the wraps back on him, he's got up and won the Theo Marks nicely." 

On bouncing back after two unlucky runs: "The horse has actually got his chance here. In fairness to the horse, there might not have been much about it in the steward's report, but I don't have many horses come back to scale with the injury he had last time in the Winx. He got galloped on badly enough and thankfully he was fine. We were quite lucky the past two times he's raced this prep he has come through a sound horse and happy to continue training. You don't always get that chance.

On what's next: " I'm actually not adverse to running the horse in the Premiere in three weeks but we'll see how he pulls up. He's a very talented colt, we've kept him in training for a reason and hopefully we can land another blow. He's now a Group Two winner as a four-year-old bull." 

Winning Jockey: Nash Rawiller

On bouncing back after some bad luck: "He obviously hasn't had much go right for him first couple of runs and blinkers on today gave me a lot of confidence. I pushed the button to go through and thought I might've gone 50m too soon because he showed a great turn of foot. But to his credit when he got a bit tired late, he still kept finding."

On his pet distance: "He probably wants a good run mile, blinkers on where they're going quick enough for him to relax but that's where you'll see him his most dominant. He's an older horse now maybe space his runs once every three or four weeks, a race like that suits him better I don't know. He could win a Stradbroke, that's what he could win. Get him in at 55kg in the winter, who knows."

Beaten Jockeys:

Ryan Maloney (The Inevitable): "Great return. In for a good preparation."

Tom Sherry (Kirwan's Lane): "It was a good effort. He only had one trial leading in today. He will improve out of sight after that."

Kerrin McEvoy (Kovalica): "He will come on from the run. Obviously out further in distance and will improve on that."

Jason Collett (Nugget): "Got into a good spot. Loomed up to win and stuck on well."

Dylan Gibbons (Madame Pommery): "Just cost herself a spot in the run by being a bit antsy in the barriers. Finished off well."

Rachel King (Cross Talk): "Good solid run. He just needed that first up."

Chad Schofield (Argentia): "She ran well. She is jumping really quick now showing good gate speed and putting herself right there. She probably just wants a bum to follow."

Jay Ford (Flying Crazy): "Got back in a slowly run affair. Made it hard to make ground."

Tyler Schiller (Waterford): "Terrific run. Will be a lot better up to a mile."

Reece Jones (Commando Hunt): "Good little stepping stone. Loomed like he was going to be putting himself right into it but condition gave out."

Brock Ryan (Cuban Royale): "He went well. Probably just needed that one more run."