Traffic Warden is set to compete in the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington

All the disappointment of his late scratching from The Everest two weeks ago will be forgotten if Traffic Warden can win the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington on Saturday.
The Godolphin colt was fractious and on his toes in the mounting yard at Royal Randwick before playing up in the barriers and missing a run in the rich weight-for-age sprint.

Head trainer James Cummings had deliberately kept the three-year-old fresh for his drop back to 1,200m after a narrow second to star stablemate Broadsiding in the G1 Golden Rose 1,400m at Rosehill Gardens three weeks earlier.

While The Everest was a lucrative target, as a dual G2 winner, the Coolmore was always Traffic Warden’s major assignment as a three-year-old this spring.
Against his own age on Saturday and back to familiar surroundings at Carbine Lodge at Flemington, Traffic Warden only needs to be on his best behaviour to be one of the leading chances down the straight 1,200m course.

Jamie Kah retains the ride and the son of Street Boss has the early pace to be just behind the leaders from barrier three and, as a 1,400m winner of the VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes in March, the strength to contest the finish.

“He’s come through that scratching experience unscathed and that’s the most important thing,” Cummings said.
“For us to get him home and spend the next few days after The Everest, and all the time we’ve had since, to concentrate on him.

“He’s pleased us enough to be able to continue and we’ve brought him down to Melbourne.
“We were so grateful to be able to see him jump out so nicely up the straight.
“Get a good feel for Flemington again, which was the first time he’s been down the straight.”
“That will help the horse and it’s a good way to have the horse ready for the Coolmore.”

An imposing type with a position on the Darley stallion roster resting on a G1 victory, nothing has been left to chance to have Traffic Warden primed to run the race of his young career.
“We won the race a few years ago with In Secret, who was excellent over seven furlongs in the Golden Rose, just went down narrowly in the shadows of the post,” Cummings recalled.

“She was able to bring the strength of that seven-furlong run to the Coolmore.
“She came here fresh and, while Traffic Warden is not exactly the same given he was scratched at the gates in The Everest, he arrives here with the equal number of weeks between runs to be fit for the G1.
“It certainly doesn’t hurt that he’s won at Flemington (Sires’), it’s just important for him to see the straight.

“He’s had a couple of looks at it now and he’s quite comfortable.
“Coming up against Growing Empire, who is a winner up the straight already is daunting, but we feel like we’ve equipped Traffic Warden nicely to be able to take him on and do battle in the Coolmore.”
Cummings has adopted an unorthodox approach and is still keen to run VRC Oaks winner Zardozi in the Melbourne Cup next Tuesday, but the mare is still an acceptor for the G1 Empire Rose Stakes over 1,600m on Saturday with Dan Stackhouse booked.

A close second in the G1 The Metropolitan at Randwick before a brave fourth in the G1 Caulfield Cup, Zardozi brings 2,400m form into the Empire Rose and should be storming home at the end of a mile.
“I was really delighted to see her improve vastly under the handicap conditions, she dropped nicely in weight there (52kg) for The Metropolitan,” he said.
“She was even more lightly weighted (51kg) for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.

“She’d never been to Caulfield before and it was just a pass, I think she’s a better Flemington mare.”
A dual winner with one second from three starts on the track, Zardozi seems to relish the spacious surrounds at Flemington.
“In order to have her come back as a VRC Oaks winner and be ready for a Melbourne Cup, we’ve got to have great confidence in her Flemington form,” Cummings said.
“We entered in the Empire Rose on Saturday, where she’s nicely in at weight-for-age, but she’s nicely fit now and it will enable me to not need to do too much on the track to have her ready for Flemington on Tuesday.

“It’s been a real mission to get her to two miles since the Oaks 12 months ago, and she’s now had four starts in G1 mile-and-a-half races and the worst she’s finished is fourth.
“She’s got beautiful mile-and-a-half form and therefore we can look forward to seeing her over two miles.”
“She won’t disappointment me if she loses this race on Saturday, because she’s been trained for two miles.
“But horses that have been trained for the Melbourne Cup in the past have a cheeky habit of running good races on Derby day.
“Zardozi might be no different.”

At Rosehill, Cummings will pin his faith in Tom Kitten when the four-year-old carries Ben Melham in the $10 million Golden Eagle over 1,500m.
Runner-up in the G1 Epsom Handicap before a fourth in the G1 King Charles III Stakes, both from wide barriers over 1,600m at Randwick, Tom Kitten has drawn gate two in the big 20-horse field and is a dual winner at the track.

The Golden Eagle again this year has a strong international flavour, with all runners representing various charities.
Tom Kitten will carry the hopes of the Humpty Dumpty Foundation, which raises funds to provide medical equipment to sick children.