Hartnell holding form as he bids for fifth G1

The most popular member of Godolphin’s Australian stable will again test a proven theory when he runs in Saturday’s G1 Kennedy Mile at Flemington.

Hartnell (Hugh Bowman) has contested more top-class races than most horses in training, winning four G1s at distances from 1,400m to 2,400m.

He’s also been placed in Australia’s two greatest races, the G1 Cox Plate and the G1 Melbourne Cup.

But his trainer James Cummings has decided the eight-year-old is at his best up to 1,600m, as he demonstrated last month when winning the G1 Epsom Handicap at Randwick.

“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about Hartnell and he’s never disappointed me over seven furlongs. Keeping him to those trips has been extremely rewarding,” Cummings said.

“He enjoys the shorter work as well as the shorter races. That’s what we’ve stuck to this campaign and he’s kept on running well.”

In his only run since the Epsom, Hartnell finished second in the G1 Toorak Handicap behind Land Of Plenty to whom he conceded six kilos. 

“He has a 2.5kg weight turnaround with Land Of Plenty from the Toorak,” Cummings said.

“That should make things pretty interesting back at Flemington where Hartnell’s probably a length better horse.” 

“He’s eight years old but he’s got the skin of a two-year-old colt, he’s dancing around the stables.”

Stablemate Best Of Days is looking for a start in Saturday's G1 Kennedy Mile, having won twice in five starts in Australia, the most recent in a dead heat for the G3 Coongy Cup.

He galloped impressively with stablemate Ranier at Flemington on Tuesday without blinkers which will be in place on Saturday.

“He cruised up on the outside and matched strides and was doing it well within himself in the gallop,” Cummings said.

“The blinkers go back on for the race and he’ll again be competitive.”