Best Of Days and Gaulois make strong G3 challenge at Eagle Farm

A change to his race day gear, a switch in distance and inherent natural ability can come together to provide Best Of Days with a return to winning form in Saturday’s G3 Eagle Farm Mile.

In a race that offers one of the last chances to grab a Stakes success before the Australian season ends on Friday, 31 July, Best Of Days (Robbie Fradd) is joined by Gaulois (Brad Stewart) who is capable of providing more than good company to his stablemate.

A G1 winner in Australia and a G2 winner in England, Best Of Days has paid the price for his good early form, being asked to carry big weights in many of his races since he won the G1 Cantala Stakes at Flemington in the spring of 2018.

While a victory is missing from his record over the 18 months since that success, he has maintained a level of form that keeps him in the picture.

His trainer James Cummings believes the six-year-old has more going for him in Brisbane on Saturday than at his recent starts in Sydney.

“As a G1 winner he’s well placed under these conditions in this company,” Cummings said.

“We’re switching him back to a mile and putting the blinkers back on - we’re very keen to see him win again.”

At his latest outing, Best Of Days finished third to Another Dollar and Ilwendo in Listed company over 2,000m at Randwick and he drops back to 1,600m here.

“He’s had a nice trial to keep him ticking over after running a good race at Randwick four weeks ago,” the trainer said.

“He slid up well in the trial and I feel that coming back to this trip with the blinkers gives him every chance of returning to winning ways.”

Gaulois shapes as a good back-up to his stable companion thanks to his consistency and an ability to handle all track conditions.

“He’s far better off at the weights here than at his past few. He drops four kilos on his last run and he’d been very consistent before that,” Cummings said.

“His third behind Cascadian in the Doncaster Prelude is very good form and he was narrowly beaten under 60.5kg at the Sunshine Coast at his last run and meets the horse that beat him on much better terms.”

“We’ve kept him fit in the meantime, mixing things up with him between races, and he’s certainly capable of presenting himself as a winning chance.”

“One of the great things about him is that a soft track won’t soften his chances.”

The Godolphin pair is opposed by last Saturday’s G1 Stradbroke third placegetter Niccanova and the in-form locals Victory Eight and Silvera.

Meanwhile, Drivers from Godolphin are doing their bit for the local community by delivering hot meals to vulnerable people in the Newmarket area.

The drivers have teamed up with the Newmarket Day Centre to spread a little cheer – and much needed lunches – to those isolated in the town.

The drivers have been helping since the end of March, using a rotation system. Their help has been vital since like so many organisations, the Newmarket Day Centre has had to close its doors due to the coronavirus lockdown. They have joined the other drivers for the Centre which every weekday is providing lunches to more than a hundred people in Newmarket.

Each driver visits six addresses a day with “a round” taking about 90 minutes, plenty of time for a quick chat – all socially distanced, of course.

One driver, Nigel Goodenough, said: “Obviously there has been some slowdown at work so it seemed a good idea to do our bit for Newmarket. The fact that we are obviously seeing people again and again means that new friendships have been formed. It’s nice to think that we might bring a smile to the face of someone cut off and alone.”

On Friday, 5 June, chefs at Godolphin’s Moulton Paddocks hostel also provided hot meals to around 250 people in Newmarket. This was in conjunction with several organisations that have been ensuring the community is fed during lockdown, including Newmarket Festival, The Jockey Club and Discover Newmarket.

Mostly the Newmarket Covid-19 fund has been covering the cost of the food for these deliveries, however on this occasion Godolphin provided the meals free of charge.

Godolphin staff globally have also come together to support local charities during the crisis, taking on the ‘Godolphin Winning Line’ challenge. The aim of the challenge, which started on Friday, 22 May and will finish on Friday, 26 June, is for staff to run, walk, ride or cycle the distance between the many Godolphin locations across the world – a total of 28,300 miles.