G1 prospects Home Of The Brave, Viridine and Asiago on trial in Adelaide

A high-class edition of the G3 RN Irwin Stakes at Morphettville confronts the Godolphin pair Home Of The Brave (Dom Torneur) and Viridine (Paul Gatt) in Adelaide on Saturday.

Both are resuming in the traditional lead-up to the G1 Goodwood Handicap, and both come to the race with plenty of stable confidence.

“I’m expecting Home Of The Brave to perform well in this race which has one of its best fields in many years,” Cummings said.

“He’s run well when fresh in the past and he has enough class to be comfortable in a race like this.”

“Viridine is also first-up in the Irwin after winning a nice race in Melbourne in the spring and then going to Perth for a G1.”

The Cummings-trained duo will be opposed by the three-time G1 winner Sunlight along with Gytrash, who has been placed at G1 at his past two starts.

Also on the path to a G1 is Asiago (Georgina Cartwright) who appears in the G3 Auraria Stakes as a prelude to next month’s G1 Australasian Oaks.

“She was ridden upside down last start in the Vinery Stakes at Rosehill. She drops a grade and she comes to this race in good shape,” Cummings said.

The Adelaide team is completed by Tenley (Jake Toeroek) who runs in the Listed Redelva Stakes off a good fourth behind the classy Rubisaka in the G2 Kewney Stakes at Flemington.

In Melbourne, Coruscate makes it a three-state Stakes challenge in the Listed Bel Esprit Stakes at Caulfield.

Meanwhile, Bivouac has the opportunity to live up to his trainer’s opinion of him in a highly competitive renewal of the G1 All-Aged Stakes at Randwick.

Already the winner of G1 titles in the Golden Rose and the Newmarket Handicap, Bivouac (Hugh Bowman) is confronted by opponents of the calibre of Pierata, Santa Ana Lane, Super Seth and Dreamforce, all winners at the supreme level.

But his trainer Cummings views the quality of the challengers as a suitable challenge for his colt.

“He’s the highest-rated sprinter I’ve been lucky enough to train and I don’t think we’re yet to see the best of him,” Cummings said.

“This is a high-class race in which a win would bring him the credit he deserves.”

“Bivouac has panels of talent and it’s been fascinating to see him harness it and to watch him develop.”

“He’s the genuine article and I’d be immensely happy to see him show it at weight-for-age in what is one of the best All-Aged Stakes fields we’ve seen in a quite some time.”

Since winning the Newmarket, Bivouac has finished third in the G1 William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley and sixth in the G1 TJ Smith Stakes on a heavy track at Randwick.

Both were tough runs for the colt, but with a dry track, a suitable gate and stepping up to 1,400m for the first time since winning the Golden Rose in the spring, he has every chance of becoming Godolphin’s fourth G1 winner for the year.

Bivouac heads a strong hand at Randwick that is complemented by Kementari, Trekking and Deprive in the G3 Hall Mark Stakes, Best Of Days in the G3 JRA Plate and La Tene and Pin Sec in the G3 JHB Carr Stakes.

Both Kementari (Hugh Bowman) and Trekking (Kerrin McEvoy) have credentials that would have given them claims in the All-Aged, so the drop in grade in the Hall Mark and the 1,200m trip should suit them admirably.

Deprive (James McDonald) also comes into calculations on the strength of his strong fourth behind I Am Excited in the G1 The Galaxy at Rosehill three weeks ago.

Kementari will be having his second start since his stud career was abandoned and Cummings anticipates significant improvement.  

“I can’t see him running anything but a good race,” he said.

“He’s come on since his first-up run, he’s trained well and he’s showing a great attitude.”

“Trekking is better for his wet-track, first-up run and is very well-credentialled for this race and Deprive has had four weeks off since his fast-closing fourth in the Galaxy, and he looks a little richer for it.”

 Best Of Days (Hugh Bowman), a failure on the heavy track in the G1 Doncaster, appears better suited over the extra distance and drier ground in Saturday’s G3 JRA Plate.