Air Comet Learns His Craft

Saturday, 26 May 2012: Randwick trainer Anthony Cummings was not perturbed when Air Comet missed the start on his way to winning the JR Turf Handicap Bm 74 at Rosehill on Saturday as the three-year-old Anabaa gelding is still learning his craft.

Peter Robl aboard Air Comet was able to settle in the back half of the field, and then watch proceedings up front until it was time to send him forward for another lesson in how to be a racehorse.

Conroy's Gap came out well from barrier three to lead initially with Famous Seamus coming across from barrier eight to sit outside Flying Zero on the rails.

Robl and Air Comet were back in the field racing one out from the rail.

Famous Seamus went forward with 350m to run as Flying Zero felt the pressure on the inside. The top-weight went to a length lead and held that margin as the sectionals went by. Robl had started to wind up Air Comet at the same time as Famous Seamus but there was a 3L margin to overcome.

Air Comet, racing in the middle of the track with Robl making sure he had clear running room, responded to the need for extra gears, but he took some time to work through them.

Famous Seamus bravely kept going but eventually Air Comet reached him with 50m to run and went away for a 3/4L win.

Famous Seamus held off Conroy's Gap with the margin a further 3/4L. The time was 1.11.62 on the Dead 4 track with the final 600m in 35.73.

“It was a very good effort," said Barry Smith, foreman for Cummings.

"He still has a lot to learn, he missed the kick, and he is still very green in the run and it took him a long time to hit the front. But there is a lot of upside to him.”

“He is not fully concentrating yet so when the penny finally drops I think we have a pretty good horse.

“1200m is his right trip and he handles the sting out of the ground so we will basically take him up through his grades,” said Cummings.

“We tried him at 1400m a couple of times and it did not work. So we dropped him back to 1200m and that absolutely did work. It sort of limits his options a little bit but we will just kick around there and keep him winning.

“He is just a big baby and he is still learning through his preparations. Anthony had a bit of gear on him and he did the right thing and took it all off him and went back to basics, and now he is just starting to work out that he is a racehorse,” said Robl.

Air Comet  is a home-bred for Gooree Pastoral Co out of the Quest For Fame mare Tzu His. This was his second win from eight starts and he earned a stake of $42,000 plus a BOBS bonus of $20,000 for Saturday's win. His total prizemoney earnings are now $86,330.