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It’s not grand final day yet for star Godolphin sprinter In Secret – that’s trainer James Cummings’ small warning as the mare carries favouritism into the Group 2 $1m Toyota Forklifts Shorts (1100m) at Randwick on Saturday.
In Secret, Godolphin's TAB Everest top seed, pleased James Cummings with her first-up second behind Remarque in the Concorde Stakes (1000m) two weeks ago and he said she's improved with that hit out under her belt.
But from his comments on RSN on Thursday there's the sense that his sights are firmly on one race – the $20 million TAB Everest in one month.
"I think In Secret is a legitimate winning chance, she can win this race, but she will be even better placed at weight-for-age,'' Cummings said.
"She still carries a Group 1 winner's penalty but she's a little better placed than she was first-up in the Group 3.
"She's well and truly burning along beautifully to be a competitive chance but make no mistake we are going to do our best to have her absolutely spot on next month."
The four-year-old will meet Concorde Stakes winner Remarque 2.5kg better for a narrow defeat.
She's unbeaten at 1100m and her only second-up defeat was a luckless third to Sunshine In Paris in the Group 1 Surround Stakes earlier this year.
From barrier four Cummings can see In Secret landing in the right position to have her chance.
"She's drawn to get run of the race stuff as a backmarker and there's just enough pressure in this race to make things interesting for the on pace horses,'' he said.
"Some of the lead ups to the Everest are looking like there might be a vacancy in the settling down positions.
"It's a terrific Shorts, as it's evolved to be as lead up to the premier sprint."
Godolphin is also represented by outsider Athelric in The Shorts, he's a $51 chance with TAB on Thursday behind his stablemate at $3.10.
It seems there's a question over whether emerging galloper Pericles will take his place in the $1 million 7 Stakes (1600m) as Cummings has him entered for a barrier trial at Wyong on Monday.
The gelding has won both starts this campaign and Cummings sees him as a future weight-for-age performer but the dilemma is do they try their hand now or wait until later in the spring.
"The pressure's been on Pericles because in many ways he needs to be a weight-for-age horse and that's what we are asking of him this campaign,'' he said.
"As it stands that's the way we've handled him, it's not like he's stolen his way into the Epsom he was weighted on Monday afternoon on 56kg and so it's equally important he's prepared to run big races in something like the King Charles III or Golden Eagle.
"It's very important for Pericles that he's able to rise to the challenge. It's only his third racing campaign but hasn't he come a long way."
If he does line up, Cummings expects Pericles to be competitive after his all the way win in the Group 3 Tramway Stakes (1400m) two weeks ago.
"I don't mind the barrier at all. It's the type of race where Pericles can run very well, he can roll up there and put himself into the race and be fighting on strongly when the pressure begins to build," he said.
"The query remains whether I want to test the horse at weight-for-age just yet this weekend, coming through a set weights and penalties where he was nicely in, I could just keep him ticking along for the Epsom."
James Cummings on Zardozi (race 6): "She's a bit of a bolter from the blue, she's going well and yet her form line reads she didn't finish anywhere first-up in the Silver Shadow and didn't hit the line. We gave her a little lung burner at Hawkesbury during the week and stepping up to seven furlongs is certainly in her favour. She needs to rise to the occasion of these horses, she's going to need to prove she's up to that grade."
On Tamerlane (race 9): "We're happy with the horse's condition, he's set to run a bold race, It's a good set up for the horse, nicely in on the limit, he's just such a powerful animal. He's trained like a horse that can't help but run well."
