Racing: Zavite heads Cummings' Melbourne Cup hopefuls

Anthony Cummings has no trouble delivering a good-quality one-liner, now he wants to do something else his father also does with consummate ease and train a Melbourne Cup winner.

Cummings worked for his 12-time Cup winning father Bart for many years, so if anybody knows the secret to beating the great man at his own game it should be him.

So what is the secret Anthony?

"Get a faster horse," he said.

Cummings had his first Melbourne Cup runner last year, Red Lord, who was unplaced in the race won by the Bart Cummings-trained Viewed.

Red Lord is one of five stablemates being aimed at the 3200m race in November.

Recently crowned NSW Stayer Of The Year, Zavite heads the team which includes Galileo's Daughter, Miss Darcey and Nothin' Leica Cat.

Zavite made a quiet return in Saturday's Warwick Stakes (1400m) at Randwick, where he beat one runner home after beginning strongly.

Cummings was pleased with the performance and is excited about Zavite's spring prospects.

"He's back, bigger and stronger than ever and I think he's about to have his best prep," Cummings said.

"I was very happy with the run. He was keen and happy to be back at the track. He probably raced a little bit fresh and was probably fifth or sixth in the run and they ran a half second outside the track record.

"Sure, Racing To Win beat him into a gap but at a mile and a half [2400m] he won't be beating him anywhere."

Cummings said the plan was to run Zavite in the Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on September 5 and then most likely the Hill Stakes (1900m) at the same venue two weeks later.

"Then we'll have a think about whether we bother with the Metrop [Metropolitan Handicap] or go to Melbourne for the Turnbull and then the Caulfield Cup," Cummings said.

Zavite failed to beat a runner home two starts back in the Listed JRA Plate (2000m) at Randwick in April.

He was found to be sore across the back after the race and the injury ended Cummings' plans to run him in the Sydney Cup (3200m) a week later.

The year started brilliantly for Zavite who had wins in three states.

He won the Australia Day Cup (2400m) at Randwick in January before running a head second to Gotta Keep Cool in the Hobart Cup (2200m) a month later followed by victory in the Launceston Cup (2400m).

He then proved himself over the Melbourne Cup distance when he won the Adelaide Cup in March.

Cummings was disappointed with Galileo's Daughter's run over 2040m at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

"She probably needed it further if anything and perhaps I should have had her in the first at Randwick over a mile and a half instead," Cummings said. "I'll have a look at her programme and reassess that on what she did at the Valley."

Nothin' Leica Cat and Miss Darcey will have barrier trials at Randwick on Friday while Cummings is hoping Red Lord gets a start in Saturday's Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.

"If he doesn't get into the Memsie there is a 1400m handicap for him, he's going nicely," Cummings said.

Trusting may be a relative newcomer to racing but he showed he was a star in the making with his victory against older horses in the Warwick Stakes at Randwick.

The bold decision to drop the 3-year-old in the deep end proved a masterstroke for the Patinack Farm operation when the colt scored a decisive win in the group two event at just his third race start.

Patinack Farm boss Nathan Tinkler and his team, including trainer Jason Coyle, opted to thrust the youngster into Saturday's weight-for-age event to try to qualify him for the $1 million Golden Rose, but also in the belief he could win it.

Trusting had a luckless run when unplaced in the Run To The Rose which put him well down the order of entry for this Saturday's group one.

But Coyle said if he is to prove to be the superstar the stable believes he is, the gamble had to be taken.

"He is the best horse I have ever dealt with," Coyle said.

"He still does things wrong and the future is all ahead of him.

"The next couple of days will tell us whether he runs in the Golden Rose but hopefully he does." The colt had only 50.5kg on Saturday, so Chris Munce replaced stable rider Peter Robl on Trusting who started at $9, with Court Command the $4.20 favourite.

Court Command and Voice Commander shared the lead to the turn with Trusting worse than midfield lining up for the run home.

Munce took him to the outside and within striking distance and he wore away at the leaders to beat O'Lonhro ($6) by three-quarters of a length with Mr Baritone ($21) a half-head back third.

The unlucky runner was 2008 winner Racing To Win ($8) who ran fourth after being unable to get clear until late.

Coyle said it was not set in stone that Robl would be back on Trusting next time.

"That's a decision that will be made over the next few days."

Munce's reaction suggested he would be more than happy to stay aboard.

"He is a superstar in the making," Munce said. "He just wants to win and in the last 100m I knew he had them covered."

- AAP