Anamoe claims top 3YO status with brilliant return in G2 Run To The Rose

The worldwide march of Godolphin’s champion three-year-olds continued in devastating style as Anamoe made a glorious return to racing in Saturday’s G2 Run To The Rose at Kembla Grange (Rosehill), NSW.

Australia’s star juvenile of last season, Anamoe took on a field containing three other G1 winners and beat them fair-and-square.

Given time to find his legs, the colt cruised along in midfield till reaching the 500m where jockey James McDonald eased him to the outside and the son of Street Boss steadily reeled in the leaders.

With only the last-start winner In The Congo ahead of him at the 100m, Anamoe surged to the line, taking the lead in the final few strides to win, untouched, by a neck.

“He’s a supreme athlete and the onus was on us to try to get him back to the races and be in the same sort of winning form that he left off,” said trainer James Cummings.

“He has got his act really together and luckily we were able to give him a good grounding this time in work, so much so that even though we had that little setback, we were able to arrive here fit enough to be performing so strongly and reeling in a race fit horse like In The Congo.

“He’s well and truly on his way, he’s had a pretty light preliminary in the last couple of weeks to be ready for this and what I like is that he doesn’t look like an absolutely natural 1200m horse.

“We’re looking to go out in trip to seven and a mile and it was great that James (McDonald) was able to let the race unfold when there was speed upfront and the horse just gets mobile and gets into his gorgeous action and he savaged the line like a horse that is ready to go right on with it.”

McDonald heaped glowing praise on the colt.

“He was the real deal as a two-year-old and I think it’s remarkable how he’s come back after one trial and a setback,” McDonald said.

“I was very mindful of getting through today. To come away with a win is a great testament to his ability.”

“He has a tremendous will to win this horse. I knew once In The Congo was in his eyesight he would get him."

“It took a lot of work to get there. I could feel one coming down my outside, not too sure what it was but it actually spurred him on a bit."

“It just helped him get to the line so it was a good effort. He is going to jump out of the ground and hopefully a nice two weeks ahead of him and he’ll be prepped up for the next one.”

Anamoe crowned his juvenile season with victory in the G1 Sires' Produce Stakes in April, having been placed at the highest level in the Blue Diamond Stakes and the Golden Slipper.

The colt will now go to the G1 Golden Rose, a race Godolphin has won in recent years with Astern and Bivouac, with the G1 Caulfield Guineas also a likely goal.

In a prelude to Anamoe’s win, his stablemate Ingratiating, who was also placed in both the Blue Diamond and Golden Slipper, finished a brave second in the Listed Poseidon Stakes at Flemington.

The son of Frosted is already a Stakes winner this season and it is anticipated that he will remain in Melbourne for the rich three-year-old sprints later in the spring.

While Anamoe still has his major spring targets ahead of his, he can be counted as a member of a stellar group of Godolphin three-year-olds led by Derby and King George hero Adayar in Europe and in the US by Essential Quality.