Kementari and Sanctioned to maintain Guineas tradition

The colts Kementari and Sanctioned are primed for career-best performances in Saturday’s G1 Caulfield Guineas, a race that features prominently in the Australian operations of Godolphin and Darley, and their founder Sheikh Mohammed.

The two James Cummings-trained runners will be attempting to repeat the victories of Long John in 2013, of Helmet two years earlier, who both carried Sheikh Mohammed’s colours, and of Lonhro, now a Darley stallion, who won a vintage renewal in 2001.

For Kementari (Damian Lane), the Guineas comes at the third run of a preparation that is full of promise.

The son of Lonhro has raced twice this time in, finishing third in the G3 Guineas Prelude last time out, and Cummings is satisfied his preparation has been faultless.

“He’s had a really attractive grounding for the 1600m third-up and I loved his Guineas trial in the Prelude when he warmed to the task late in the race,” Cummings said.

“I thought it was a beautiful trial.”

Before that, Kementari raced well when fourth to Menari in the G2 Run To The Rose over a 1200m trip he found too short.

“This is the race we’ve set him for and he’s ready to run well despite coming up with a slightly tricky barrier,” his trainer said.

“The race has brought together a field of very good colts and a filly who has very good form, but that’s what you expect in a Guineas and I think he has the quality and the form to be in there with them.”

Sanctioned (Glyn Schofield) comes to the race after finishing fourth last start in the G1 Spring Champion Stakes at Randwick last Saturday.

While Cummings acknowledges the preparation is less- than traditional, he believes the Teofilo colt will handle it.

“He’s a horse who copes with his racing really well,” he said.

“From a wide barrier in the Champion Stakes last Saturday he got back in a slowly-run race and motored home well from the back of the field, which isn’t his pattern.

“The good thing is that he’s got form around all the important horses and I like it that he’s coming back to 1600m here.”