G1 Guineas placings for Kementari and Alizee at Caulfield

A close second in the G1 Caulfield Guineas by Kementari and a third placing to Alizee in the G1 Thousand Guineas on Saturday has confirmed the strength and depth of Godolphin’s Australian three-year-old team.

While the frustration of the two placings was acute, trainer James Cummings shrugged it off as he looked to the future with two of the country’s best three-year-olds.

“Kementari had already shown us he is a genuinely classy colt and he proved it with that run,” Cummings said.

“He didn’t have the best of luck, but he put himself into the race and had it won until a few strides from the line. I’m proud of him and I’m confident we have a colt who we’ll hear a lot more about in the autumn.”

Kementari was pushed wide rounding the final turn before surging to the front with 150m to run. Just as it appeared he had the first Classic of the Australian season in his keeping, Mighty Boss sprinted along the inside rail to snatch victory.

“I thought we had them covered, but he wanted to look around in the straight, he lost concentration, he got a bit lost,” said jockey Damian Lane.

“When he saw the winner he responded, but it was too late.”

Alizee, the winner last month of the G1 Flight Stakes at Randwick, had a similar experience in the Thousand Guineas in which she finished third, two lengths behind Aloisia.

Jockey Glyn Schofield said the filly hadn’t been as comfortable on the left-handed Caulfield track as she had been racing in the opposite direction in Sydney.

“She was on the wrong leg around the turn and really didn’t balance up like she does at home,” he said.

“I tried to let her find her legs, but she couldn’t quite get it right.”

Another Stakes placing was recorded at Randwick where Impending finished an excellent second in the Listed Sydney Stakes at his first start since winning the G1 Stradbroke Handicap at Doomben last June.

The day was completed when the filly Jorda finished third in the G3 Thoroughbred Club Stakes at Caulfield.