TAB Australian Cup (Group 1)

“HE set the benchmark and now we’ve got to do our best to catch him,” said Edward Cummings, the son of Anthony and grandson of Bart, on emulating the racing legend with a win in Saturday’s Group 1 Australian Cup with Duais, a race in which Bart’s record stands at 13 wins.

Based at Hawkesbury Racecourse which suffered from the recent floods, Cummings was quick to think of home. “Our hearts and our minds go out to everyone who was affected by those floods. I hope in some very small way this win gives everyone out at Hawkesbury a boost, and in western Sydney as well.”

Training out of his Myrtle House stables, named after the first horse his great-grandfather Jim trained, Edward had already posted a Queensland Oaks win with the four-year-old Shamus Award filly Duais. “We always wanted to be here. It was always part of the plan,” he said. “We knew that we had done something similar last preparation.

“Naturally we were disappointed that the grand final (16th in the Caulfield Cup) didn’t work out how we liked but we felt getting here to Flemington would suit her down to the ground, 2,000 metres third-up. She’s done it before, it was there for everybody to see if they really bothered to look.”

Running

Ridden by Josh Parr, Duais settled one-off the fence just better than mid-field with the race favourite Think It Over, right in her sights. With the field fanning as they came into the straight, Duais peeled off the back of Think It Over to make her claim as the Melbourne Cup third placegetter Spanish Mission led the field. Stretching out in fashion reminiscent of many past Cummings horses,

Duais hit the line full of running, winning by a widening two lengths from the So You Think horse Think It Over, with the Noble Mission horse Spanish Mission hanging on for third.