James Cummings previews his autumn carnival team including Broadsiding, Traffic Warden and Zardozi

James Cummings goes through his main autumn contenders with Ray Thomas and what races they will be targetting.

Promising Polyglot, reliable Institutions, and emerging two-year-olds Burma Star, Tempted and Daphnes could be the “Blue Army’s” scouting party.

Godolphin trainer James Cummings is sending those five horses to Rosehill Gardens on Saturday for what is often regarded as the unofficial start of Sydney’s autumn carnival.

Polyglot and Institutions are in benchmark races, while Canonbury Stakes hopeful Burma Star and Widden Stakes entries Tempted and Daphnes will be competing in Group 3 $250,000 lead-up races for the Golden Slipper next month.

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But this is just the first wave for Godolphin and it is only a matter of time until Cummings unleashes all his strike power on Sydney’s feature autumn races.

After spending a morning at Godolphin’s picturesque private training complex, Osborne Park at Agnes Banks near Hawkesbury earlier this month, it is very obvious Cummings has the “ammunition” for an all-out autumn carnival assault.

The star turns at the Godolphin trackwork session included super colt Broadsiding and another talented three-year-old Traffic Warden, the older, established carnival contenders like Zardozi, Pericles, Tom Kitten and Golden Mile, plus some of the stable’s most talented two-year-olds.

In an exclusive interview, the Godolphin maestro, trainer of 50 Group 1 winners, provided an insight into some of his stable’s main carnival contenders.

BROADSIDING

Cummings said triple Group 1 winner Broadsiding is “up and about, feeling good” in preparation for the autumn carnival.

“Broadsiding has been extremely forward in his work,’’ Cummings said of the outstanding three-year-old who had a barrier trial hitout at Rosehill Gardens on Thursday.

“He will head into the autumn carnival off a longer break than he had going into the spring when he campaigned long into the winter in Queensland.’’

Cummings said Broadsiding is on target to resume in the Group 2 $400,000 Hobartville Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill Gardens on February 22.

“I think he is getting there nicely towards that race without getting carried away just yet,’’ Cummings said.

“I’m quite pleased with what we are seeing from him and he is really settling into his work beautifully.’’

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Cummings said Broadsiding has made the necessary physical development since the colt’s spring campaign.

“He’s a little bit more defined as he matures,’’ the Godolphin maestro said.

“But he was a precocious young horse, Australia’s champion two-year-old, he has kept a quite nice level since but I like the way he has toned up a little bit more this time in.’’

Broadsiding was outstanding winning the Golden Rose first-up over the Hobartville course and distance last spring then trained on to finish third in Via Sistina’s Cox Plate.

“He’s certainly managed to go right on with it from his two-year-old career by doing so (winning the Golden Rose),’’ Cumming said.

“It was a really critical thing for a horse like him who has the potential to train on even as an older horse.

“Whilst we continue to see improvement from him from one prep to the next it keeps that hope alive.’’

Broadsiding will follow Anamoe’s three-year-old autumn campaign. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

Broadsiding is often compared with Cummings’ former champion and 2002-03 Horse of the Year Anamoe, winner of nine Group 1 races.

Cummings confirmed Broadsiding is likely to follow Anamoe’s three-year-old autumn campaign with the Randwick Guineas (1600m) and Rosehill Guineas (2000m) on the program then possibly the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).

Anamoe raced on as a four-year-old and Cummings said there is every chance Broadsiding’s race career could be extended for another season.

“There are similarities but Broadsiding is not Anamoe, he is very different to that horse,’’ Cummings said.

“I think we will follow the traditional path with Broadsiding in the autumn but whether or not we head to the Queen Elizabeth Stakes remains to be seen.

“We might even venture up to Queensland again for a race like the Doomben Cup.

“But I just like the way he is coming along, we will keep him to the three-year-olds at the moment and we might test him one more time against the older horses before we make our decision whether we train on with Broadsiding (next season).’’

TRAFFIC WARDEN

Traffic Warden, who was runner-up to Broadsiding in the Golden Rose, is being trained primarily as a sprinter this autumn.

Cummings said Traffic Warden’s immediate aim is the Newmarket Handicap at Flemington next month – a feature sprint the trainer has won with three-year-olds Cylinder (2024), In Secret (2023) and Bivouac (2020) in recent years.

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“Traffic Ward is a Run To The Rose winner and winners of that race historically train on to be very good and capable horses even against their older opposition,’’ Cummings said.

“We have to push on fearlessly with him and we are programming him with the horse’s ability in the highest regard – that’s the way we view Traffic Warden and I think he can be a real force this campaign.

“It is quite likely he could end up in a Newmarket and we are looking forward to seeing him there with a lightweight and giving him the opportunity to demonstrate his sprinting prowess.

“But targeting that Newmarket the way we have with three-year-olds in the past I feel is going to be rewarding for Traffic Warden and he might even be able to come back to Sydney and be very competitive in the sprint races here.’’

Traffic Warden will be trained as a sprinter this prep. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

ZARDOZI

If there is one horse Cummings believes punters should keep an eye on this autumn it is Zardozi.

The outstanding mare went winless in seven starts last spring but she enhanced her reputation as an elite stayer with her second in The Metropolitan and fourth placings in the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup.

“Zardozi didn’t run a bad race during the spring,’’ Cummings said.

“She’s a tough mare. She had seven runs but she has come back like she had the spring off and is really well.

“I saw it was taxing for her in the early part of the (spring) campaign but she got tougher and tougher and has been improved by it.

“In the short time, we like the idea of targeting the Australian Cup and then returning to Sydney to tackle the features here in autumn.’’

TOM KITTEN

He won the Spring Preview, ran second in the Epsom, third in the Golden Eagle and fourth in the King Charles III Stakes.

Tom Kitten was “thereabouts” during spring and Cummings believes the four-year-old has been improved by those competitive efforts at racing’s highest level.

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“We are targeting the Doncaster in autumn with Tom Kitten,’’ Cummings said.

“He has potentially come back better than spring. He is not entirely dissimilar to Zardozi (and is) getting in the groove of racing against open class horses.

“He has more zest about his work than this time last preparation and he has the makings of a weight-for-age horse – and a reliable one.’’

PERICLES

Perciles has won six races and more than $5m but is still a “maiden” at Group 1 level.

“He’s been a phenomenal horse for us without winning a Group 1 race,’’ the trainer said.

“But he’s a class horse, a Five Diamonds winner, and he has the opportunity to give the Five Diamonds a good name.

“He has been an amazing soldier for our squad, he has become part of the furniture.’’

GOLDEN MILE

Golden Mile had fertility problems at stud last spring before being gelded and sent back to the Cummings stable.

“He is going to be a really interesting horse,’’ Cummings said.

“Since his win in the Caulfield Guineas he has gone close in a few big races. Now that he has had that good break he has enjoyed that experience, it might change his mindset.

“He is a project of ours, he is a lovely, sound horse who is thriving being back in work.’’

Golden Mile has been gelded after having fertility problems at stud. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

PISANELLO, KERGUELEN

Pisanell and Kerguelen are both restricted class sprinters who showed glimpses of real ability last year and Cummings is expecting both to make a name for themselves in autumn.

“I loved the way Pisanello not only raced his way through the grades but had to travel to do so,’’ the trainer said.

“He got the perfect split at Warwick Farm to kick off his preparation I style, then took his form to Melbourne during Cup Week at Flemington, before he won again at Kembla.

“Kerguelen is an interesting horse, a son of Lonhro, and he has more to offer.’’

THE IMPORTS

After the success of Hartnell, Avilius and Cascadian, who is the next classy import to emerge from the Godolphin stable?

Cummings revealed that unfortunately he doesn’t have an overseas horse in his stable for autumn.

“We can only strategise to continue to breed the best home-breds we can possibly breed and maximise their potential,’’ he said.

“But it (no imports) has left a big hole in our racing team. When you list their names over the last few years, it brings back fond memories.’’

Originally published as James Cummings previews his autumn carnival team including Broadsiding, Traffic Warden and Zardozi