Flight Stakes winner Norzita could provide James Cummings with his first Group 1 win as he begins his newly formed training partnership with his famous grandfather Bart Cummings this week.
Norzita winning the Vinery Stud Stakes at Rosehill. Photo by Steve Hart.
James Cummings will be officially handed his training licence when the new season begins on Thursday and will waste no time preparing his team for the Spring.
Dual Group 1 winner Norzita will head the team with the Group 1 $3m Sportingbet Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 26 on the radar while the undefeated Eurozone could be chasing some rich Spring three year old races.
Norzita will trial on Friday at Randwick and will kick off her Spring campaign in the Group 3 $125,000 Show County Quality (1200m) at Warwick Farm on August 24 with the Group 1 $350,000 George Main Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on September 21 one of her major Sydney goals.
“She will trial on Friday and we are eyeing off the George Main for a Sydney campaign before she heads down to Melbourne,” James Cummings told TVN.
“We are looking like we will kick off in the Show County, second-up probably the Tramway at this stage and then the George Main before we head to Melbourne for the Cox Plate.
“She would be the stable’s top chance this spring but Eurozone is a big hope of stepping up, he is due to trial on Friday too.”
Eurozone will also trial with Cummings looking to put the Northern Meteor colt up against his own age group as he works towards a start in the Group 1 $1m Golden Rose (1400m) at Rosehill on September 14.
“We kept him in the stable and he has freshened up really well. His lead up work for this trial has been excellent,” Cummings said.
“He is a good doer and he is loving his work, he’d happily have a couple of runs leading in to the Golden Rose if he proves he has got the mettle.”
James Cummings, who has been stable foreman for Bart since 2009, comes from a long line of top horseman and will be training along his father Anthony at Randwick.
Cummings will saddle up his first runner under the new partnership banner on Saturday with runners nominated for Rosehill and Kembla Grange but virtually nothing will change.
The young horseman has already put the final touches on Norzita for two Group 1 wins as well and overseeing another eighteen metropolitan winner’s for the 2012 – 2013 season.
Norzita scored her first Group 1 win last Spring in the Group 1 $400,000 Coolmore Flight Stakes (1600m) at Randwick and maintained that good form into the Autumn with a win in the Group 1 $400,000 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill on April 6.
The Thorn Park filly then showed that she could mix it with the open class horses with a top effort to finish third to Sacred Falls and Pierro in the Group 1 $2m BMW Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick on April 20.
Norzita is currently a $31 chance in the Cox Plate with Australian Derby winner It’s A Dundeel heading the market order at $4.40 ahead of Australian Cup winner Super Cool at $7.
