Nozomi recalls his youth in G3 Flemington win

He’s almost in the veteran class and he needs some special care and attention, but Nozomi showed he still has what it takes to win Stakes races when he scored the sixth victory of his career in the G3 Autumn Handicap at Flemington on 3 March.

A Derby placegetter as a three-year-old, Nozomi has one of the more attractive pedigrees among Godolphin’s Australian team.

But a tendon injury as a young horse has led his trainer Anthony Freedman to take a conservative approach to his career.

“He looked like being one of the better three-year-olds of his generation, but he had that tendon injury which held him up,” Freedman said.

“The thing about him is that he always works really well, he always looks great and he doesn’t run many bad races.

“Godolphin have been great letting us keep him in training, they’ve just said that we can keep racing him until we feel that he’s ready to be retired. I think he showed today that he’s still enjoying himself.”

Nozomi is by Darley’s outstanding but ill-fated stallion Street Cry from the Danehill mare Rose of Danehill, who was trained by Anthony Freedman and his brother Lee to win four races, all at Stakes level.

She also finished second in the G1 Thousand Guineas and the G1Blue Diamond Stakes. Rose Of Danehill is a half-sister to Wrap Around, a G1 winner in Australia and also a Stakes winner in America.

The six-year-old, who is the only Godolphin horse in the Freedman stable, was having his first start since November in Saturday’s race and is now likely to be set for the G2 Blamey Stakes or the G3 Easter Cup.

Head Australian trainer James Cummings ended the day on a bright note at Randwick when the progressive four-year-old Osborne Bulls, also by Street Cry, impressively won the Championship Hospitality Handicap while his two-year-old colt Sanglier broke through for his first win at Wyong, NSW.

Cummings also saddled the runner-up Raiment in the G2 Guy Walter Stakes at Randwick, the filly enduring a wide run before chasing home the winner Dixie Blossoms.