Cristobal and Roosevelt step up to Group class at Rosehill

The examination of Godolphin’s Australian two-year-old prospects continue at Rosehill on Saturday with the appearance of Cristobal and Roosevelt in races that could lead to more serious autumn targets.

Cristobal (Tye Angland), who runs in the G3 Magic Night Stakes, is a winner at her only start and while she is confronted by an opponent regarded as the best of her age, she is expected to perform creditably.

The Exceed And Excel filly made her encouraging debut at Rosehill on February 28 and is facing a sharp rise in class here.

“She was a little underestimated by the market on debut, but some strong training has convinced us she was going to be really competitive,” said trainer James Cummings.

“The run hasn’t shaken her up in any way, if anything she’s more relaxed and in a good frame of mind.”

Cristobal’s opposition includes Sunlight, the favourite for next week’s G1 Golden Slipper Stakes and a filly whose four wins to date include the A$2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic.

“We’ve got our feet on the ground, knowing that we’re tackling Sunlight, but we’d love to see her run well behind that filly,” Cummings said.

Roosevelt, who runs in the corresponding race for colts and geldings, the G3 Pago Pago Stakes, is also the winner of his only start and is also attempting a large rise in class.

“We were impressed with the way he out-muscled his opposition when they came at him at Warwick Farm,” Cummings said.

“But the amount of improvement he showed from his trials to his first-up performance is enough to make us think he might make that quantum leap and be competitive at G3 level.”

With Tye Angland to ride both two-year-olds, Cummings will get a handy comparison of their respective abilities as well as a gauge on their rivals as he assesses Golden Slipper prospects.