Godolphin trainer James Cummings says Traffic Warden ‘ready to run a big race’ in Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes at Flemington
Godolphin trainer James Cummings is confident Traffic Warden will be mentally ready for his return in the Group 1 Lightning Stakes at Flemington on Saturday.
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Godolphin trainer James Cummings says Traffic Warden is “ready to run a big race” in the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Traffic Warden has matured physically and more importantly mentally since a mixed spring.
He won the Group 2 Run To The Rose (1200m) first-up and finished second to stablemate Broadsiding in the Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m).
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Traffic Warden missed The Everest – scratched behind the barriers after he played up – and then melted mentally in the Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington.
Traffic Warden has “behaved like a different horse” since.
“It will be a good test for him to ensure his mentality is on song for this weight-for-age test in the Lightning at G1 level,” Cummings said.
“I do like the way the horse has gone about his work in the lead-up to this campaign.
“He’s behaving like a different horse this preparation, compared to the later stages of his last.
“He’s arguably not a pure 1000m horse that you need to win a Lightning, but he’s trialled like a horse who is certainly ready to run a big race.”
A good experience down the straight in the Lightning should tune up Traffic Warden for the target Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington on March 8.
Cummings is going for a hat-trick of Newmarkets after In Secret (2023) and Cylinder (2024).
He also won the time-honoured handicap sprint with Bivouac in 2020.
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“He can run very well here and we might even learn something about him here,” Cummings said.
“He’s absolutely flying and entitled to be competitive and finishing off hard, putting in the type of run to suggest this is a colt worth following in three weeks.”
Switzerland and Growing Empire dominate the Lightning markets from I Am Me and Traffic Warden.
Originally published as Godolphin trainer James Cummings says Traffic Warden ‘ready to run a big race’ in Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes at Flemington
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