Anamoe was made to earn his sixth Group 1 of the season and ninth overall when overcoming a three-wide run in Saturday’s $1,000,000 Group 1 The Agency George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill.
Job done (image Steve Hart)
Ridden by James McDonald for James Cummings, the son of Street Boss (USA) was all out in defeating the fast-finishing Sebring mare Fangirl by a long-neck with a resurgent Frankel gelding Converge a nose back in third.
A length covered the first six across the line. Artorius was doing his best work in the final 50m to claim fourth ahead of the New Zealander Levante fifth and Communist sixth.
Anamoe advances his record to 14 wins, five seconds, and two thirds from 24 starts with earnings of $11,703,025.
“It was looking like he was going to force us to be wide throughout, but at least he was going to be wide and out of trouble, and James was ultimately very calm about that, which is the way he needed to be,” Cummings said
“But on a hot day like today, to get through this and to go undefeated this preparation in the lead-up to the Queen Elizabeth is ideal. He’s had that tough run now at the 1500m, which is a race we deliberately kept him a little bit sharper for. But now he can step up to a mile and a quarter and look great in three weeks when we step him up in distance.
No catching Anamoe (image Steve Hart)
“It could be an entirely different scenario in three weeks. It could be an entirely different sort of day. Maybe very different track conditions. But this horse Anamoe, he’s never disappointed me once when we step him up in distance. He’s always run a blinder and I’d expect a similar thing from him in three weeks.
“But that’s (today’s race) a time-honoured race packed full of quality opposition, and for him to sit three and four wide throughout and still come away and be strongest on the line is a great credit to Anamoe. It’s another fantastic mile Group 1 that is added to his glittering resume already. He’s a beautiful stallion.”
James McDonald said Anamoe comes out of the race with his reputation intact.
“It worked out well the first two furlongs, I had a nice little bit of cover but it disappeared. Went over numerous replays of this sort of race and I thought he was good enough to do it if he had to overcome adversity," McDonald said.
"I think he did an extremely good job, albeit the margin was small. He had to do it a different way this time instead of last time. I love the plan of James (Cummings) taking him to this race with a view of 2000m next time will be spot on.”
“I would’ve loved a better trip in transit. But I wanted to ride him like the good horse that he is and not get far back because the only way I thought he would get beat was coming too late. He traveled deep throughout, the track has probably helped us on the softer side and they have been coming down the middle.”
“It was a different sort of win wasn’t it? He didn’t have the perfect barrier, he didn’t have the perfect set-up. He had to overcome a wide run, but he’s good enough to do it and he’s taken that next step all the time.”
A half-sister by champion sire Redoute's Choice to Group I winner Drum, Anamato has a serious black-type pedigree featuring Group I winners Grand Armee, Yourdeel and Dealer Principal.
Anamato has a yearling filly foal by Blue Point (IRE). She missed to Street Boss (USA) in 2021 and revisited the son of Street Cry (IRE) last spring.
