Home Of The Brave ready to impress in Australian debut

High-class English sprinter Home Of The Brave is set to make his Australian debut in a race that, on paper, should suit him admirably at Flemington, Australia, on Saturday, 11 August.

Home Of The Brave runs in the G3 Aurie’s Star Handicap, a race down the Flemington straight track that should be well within his capabilities on his form in the UK where he was trained by Hugo Palmer.

The son of the outstanding Australian sprinter Starspangledbanner, himself a Flemington G1 winner, won six races in England, all on straight tracks and five of them at Stakes level.

Prior to being purchased by Godolphin, he was also first past the post in the G3 Minstrel Stakes, again on a straight course at The Curragh, only to be disqualified. 

For new trainer James Cummings Home Of The Brave is bidding to become his second import to win first up in Australia in successive weeks, following the success of Avilius at Randwick.

Cummings has trialled the gelding twice on circular tracks and has been impressed with what he’s seen.

“He’s a racy, sharp style of horse who should have the speed required to be competitive among these horses,” Cummings said.

“While he’s had a solid preliminary foundation for this, he will no doubt show improvement through the run as he gets more accustomed to how races unfold here.”

A seven-year-old by southern-hemisphere time, Home Of The Brave was originally purchased as a yearling in France by an Australian syndicate that included Victorian trainer Troy Corstens, who with his father trained Starspangledbanner, and prominent owner David Moodie.

He had his first start in the Godolphin royal blue when winning the G3 John Of Gaunt Stakes at Haydock in May, 2016 with his most recent outing coming in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar in November 2017.

Godolphin’s Australian stable also has bright prospects in Saturday’s only other Australian Stakes race thanks to the consistent three-year-old Plague Stone who runs in the Listed The Rosebud at Rosehill.

A first-up winner in his last days as a two-year-old on 21 July, Plague Stone comes to Saturday’s race with more to offer.

“He has been bottled up and held together as we’ve proceeded to the Rosebud,” Cummings said.

“He continues to look very sharp since his strong win over five furlongs a few weeks ago and looks set to let down strongly again.”