Premiership winning jockey Glen Boss will be the new rider on Eurozone when the Bart and James Cummings trained three year old steps out next during the Melbourne Autumn Carnival.
Moment Of Change, black cap, hangs on to beat Eurozone, black and white checked cap, in the C.F. Orr Stakes. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
Boss will replace Damien Oliver on Eurozone at his next start with James Cummings yet to confirm if it will be the Group 1 $500,000 Cathay Pacific Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 22 or the Group 1 $500,000 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington the following week or both.
Oliver was aboard Eurozone when he went within a whisker of collaring Moment Of Change in last week’s Group 1 $400,000 Sportingbet C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield but he will stick with the Gai Waterhouse trained Bull Point over the Autumn Carnival.
“He (Oliver) said it was hard to split them,” Cummings told TVN.
Oliver has forged a great association with Waterhouse since the Spring and was aboard Bull Point when he scored a first up win in the Group 3 $135,000 John Moule Manfred Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 1.
The headline jockey teamed up with Waterhouse for several feature race wins during the Melbourne Spring Carnival including the win on Fiorente in the Group 1 $6m Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington.
Oliver also rode three year old Divine Calling to two wins at Moonee Valley in a three year old Handicap over 1500m followed by a win in the Group 2 $220,000 City Jeep Stutt Stakes (1600m) on September 27.
Oliver almost collected another Group 1 trophy for Waterhouse when he got Divine Calling to within half a length of Long John when second in the Group 3 $175,000 BECK Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) at Caulfield on September 29.
Cummings will make a call early next week if he is going to take on weight for age again with Eurozone in the Futurity or wait and take on his own age in the Australian Guineas the following week.
Eurozone has won four of his seven starts and has earned just over $393,000 for his connections and is on the verge of becoming the first Group 1 winner for Bart Cummings and his grandson James since they took out a training partnership at the beginning of this racing season last August.
The Northern Meteor colt’s best win to date was the Group 2 $250,000 Stan Fox Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill during last year’s Sydney Spring Carnival.
