Wet weather and a very heavy track has questions hanging over the fate of Wednesday’s Kembla Grange meeting but should it go ahead, Edward Cummings believes that Cohesive is ready to go at the right stage of the preparation.
Cohesive is set to line up in the $45,000 PFD Food Services Provincial Maiden (1600m) with the lightly raced four-year-old mare in for her third career start.
Debuting for a fourth placing at Newcastle over 1300-metres on November 26, the daughter of Xtravangant followed-up with a third placing at Kembla Grange in mid-December at 1400-metres – both on good-rated surfaces when ridden by Rachel King.
Heading to the mile third-up, Cummings believes now is the time to break the duck.
“I think she has been wanting to get onto the softer ground,” Cummings told Sky Sports Radio.
“I thought her run whilst very good last start just lacked a bit of punch at the finish and more so from the feedback we got from Rachel, the firmer state of the track on the day (may not have helped).
“The opportunity to get her toe in, and compared to the other Xtravagant filly we train (Arts), hopefully it will allow her to stretch out and hit the line.”
Cohesive is the $4.20 favourite in the opening event of the day where Jett Stanley will take the ride.
Also in the Cummings stable, three-time Group 1 winner Duais suffered an eye ulcer after his second-placing in the Group 1 Champions Stakes (2000m) at Flemington during the Melbourne Cup Carnival which has now healed.
A return to the trials is expected towards the end of January with another tilt at the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) also likely, and to add to the mare’s victory in that race in 2002.