‘Traffic Warden is ready to go’: Cummings rapt with gun colt ahead of Group 2 Run To The Rose at Rosehill Gardens

Godolphin maestro James Cummings has Traffic Warden set to make a spring carnival statement when he resumes in the Group 2 Run To The Rose at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.

Traffic Warden completes an exhibition gallop at Randwick earlier this month. Picture: Jeremy Ng / Getty Images

Godolphin maestro James Cummings has Traffic Warden set to make a spring carnival statement when he resumes in the Group 2 $300,000 Run To The Rose (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.

Traffic Warden hasn’t raced since his close second to Manaal in the ATC Sires last autumn when the talented colt was found to have bled from both nostrils.

But Cummings said Traffic Warden had done everything right in the build-up to his three-year-old return, with the colt completing two barrier trials including an impressive win in a Hawkesbury heat two weeks ago.

• Gun rides poised to make Kerrin the Big Mac at Rosehill on Saturday

“Traffic Warden is ready to go in the Run To The Rose,’’ Cummings said.

“It will be a hot race to be tackling first-up but he will be arriving there with a really solid grounding.

“He has had the experience of seven runs as a two-year-old so he is a very tough campaigner. He will be able to hold his own there.’’

With boom colt Storm Boy a dominant $2.10 favourite with TAB Fixed Odds, Traffic Warden is out to the fourth line of betting at $7.50.

Traffic Warden might be “flying under the radar” but it was a familiar position for the colt, according to Cummings.

Traffic Warden (@JamesCummings88@godolphin) as well as Sunshine in Paris and Lady Laguna (@ANeashamRacing) galloped at Randwick not long ago 👇 pic.twitter.com/4Sj0apZwOH

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) September 7, 2024

• All Sunshine ahead of The Everest hope’s Sheraco defence

“In the weeks leading up to the Golden Slipper he was huge odds but on Slipper Day he was a lot closer to 20/1 and ran a great race (fourth behind Lady Of Camelot),’’ Cummings said.

“The Run To The Rose will be an important race and give us a chance to mix it in the (Group 1 $1 million) Golden Rose later this month. I think he will show he has made that good leap forward from last season.

“One week is a long time in the life of a spring three-year-old, everything can really shift quite quickly.’’

Cummings also confirmed his outstanding three-year-old Broadsiding, winner of the Champagne Stakes and JJ Atkins at Group 1 level last season, will go first-up into the Golden Rose in two weeks.

Originally published as ‘Traffic Warden is ready to go’: Cummings rapt with gun colt ahead of Group 2 Run To The Rose at Rosehill Gardens