Anthony Cummings is eyeing off more Winter Carnival Group 1 races after three year old Your Song made a one act affair with a runaway win in the Group 1 $400,000 Bundaberg Distilling Co. BTC Cup (1200m) at Eagle Farm today.
Your Song scores a runaway win in the G1 BTC Cup at Eagle Farm. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Your Song handled the heavy conditions to perfection causing an upset result when the anticipated battle between the two pre post favourites Rain Affair and Buffering didn’t eventuate.
The first shock of the race came when the Robert Heathcote trained Buffering missed the start and was out the back instead of challenging for the lead with Rain Affair.
And while Hugh Bowman had Rain Affair travelling kindly in front, the five year old failed to show his usual resistance in the straight when Your Song put him away at the 200m and Buffering was never in the hunt even with Damian Browne urging the favourite along before the home turn.
Cummings has always held a high opinion of Your Song and wasn’t frightened to test him at Group 1 level after some good efforts as a two year old and early three year old.
“He was very comfortable on the ground,” Cummings said.
“Pete rode him very positively, got he over to a very competitive spot right from the gates, the horse did the rest.”
“You’ve got the right horse, he’s fit, go to the races, see what happens.”
Cummings had planned to go to Melbourne in the Spring with Your Song but injury forced the chance of plan and he worked out a plan to bring him to Brisbane.
“From the first day he came I said that he was a Group 1 horse, but it’s taken a little bit longer to prove it than I expected to but very pleased to have got the job done today.”
Your Song will stay in Brisbane for the rest of the carnival with the Group 1 $650,000 Carlton Mid Doomben 10,000 (1350m) at Doomben on May 25 and the Group 1 $1.36m AAMI Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 8 well within his reach.
Browne said that Buffering had the job ahead of him right from the start when he took a backward step just as the gates opened and was virtually never in the race while Bowman could offer no excuses for Rain Affair.
Local three year old Better Than Ready was only one of a few runners that has made up any ground in the wet today and put in an eye-catching Stradbroke Handicap trial running home for third from well back in the field.
