Three strong chances in G3 Doncaster Prelude

One of the more difficult aspects confronting trainer James Cummings ahead of the G3 Doncaster Prelude at Rosehill on Saturday, 31 March is deciding which of his three runners has the best winning chance.

In the end, he conceded that Duca Valentinois, Interlocuter and Spectroscope each had a worthy claim. The imported trio have all come through preparatory runs in good order and each has good form at the 1,500m trip.

On the basis of consistency, Interlocuter, has perhaps the best profile.

A winner and runner-up in his two runs in France before joining the Australian team, Interlocuter’s nine local starts have produced five wins and three placings.

“I think he’ll be very hard to beat,” Cummings said.

“He might just be the best of our chances despite the other two going so well. He’s up in the weights now, but he had a good trial since his last run when he motored to the line nicely.”

Spectroscope, who also did his early racing in France, won this race in 2017 and produced an encouraging first-up run when fourth in the G3 Newcastle Newmarket.

“He was gelded after his last preparation and we were putting pressure on the horse to show us something at Newcastle,” Cummings said.

“If he can improve a bit off that going out to 1500m with the light weight, then he gives himself every opportunity of finding another length and being in the top three in this race.”

Duca Valentinois, whose most recent outing was also in the Newcastle Newmarket, has shown encouraging signs since that run.

“We feel like he’s tightened up nicely since his wide run at Newcastle,” Cummings said.

“He’s been galloping strongly against some pretty good stablemates leading up to this race and I feel like he has the chance, third-up, to show his best like he did for us last prep when he won a Listed race at Hawkesbury.”