Trainer and jockey quotes after Sandpaper takes out the Listed Stow Storage Gothic Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday.
Race Result:
1st: Sandpaper (James Cummings/Jamie Kah) - $8.50
2nd: Angry Skies (Ben & JD Hayes/Blake Shinn) - $4.60F
3rd: Custodian (Anthony & Sam Freedman/Mark Zahra) - $14
Winning Time: 1:25.60 Last 600m: N/A
Margins: Long Head x ¾L
Sandpaper takes out the Gothic Stakes @jamieleekah07 @JamesCummings88 @godolphin pic.twitter.com/XMq8UpVzew
— 7HorseRacing (@7horseracing) October 15, 2022
Winning Trainer: James Cummings
On the run: "I thought it was really instructive for us. We'd been at a crossroads with Sandpaper and we'd been struck by the horse being somewhat of a promising miler.
"I've just never been able to get the right setup with the horse but my assistant tainer, Paul Reid, rang me on Wednesday afternoon and asked if I had been watching Caulfield? I've got a runner at Caulfield so I've been watching.
"'Are you sure you want to run him on a Heavy 10?', he asked. But Tim Bailey has been amazing for this track this year and if anyone can get it into the soft range it'd be him so we loaded the horse up into the float and sent him down.
"He looked good before the race like he was about to walk out onto a soft track and be able to deliver with the right setup and getting up in trip, he's potentially Carbine Club (Stakes) horse."
On Alegron in Caulfield Cup: "He's coming into this after missing the Turnbull with a very slight temperature having arrived down from Sydney that week. That's not ideal but of all the horses I've scratched from a Group 1 under those conditions, I wasn't that worried about that horse.
"He's performed well freshened up - the four weeks haven't dented his fitness. He seemed to be clean winded after a nice gallop during the week and I've never had a horse down in the weights in the Caulfield Cup who has placed in two Group 1 Derbies and a St Leger winner so he's going to relish getting up to a mile-and-a-half for the first time this prep.
"I'd like to think we're in business."
Winning Jockey: Jamie Kah
"The first thing I said to James just then was 'I'm really sorry'. The plan was to be neutral an get him just to finish off and then go onto that race but when I jumped in a hundred metres I had no option because he jumped so well and traveled so well.
"Beautiful horse and he'll definitely get further off that."
