Trainer Anthony Cummings will consider a Sandown Guineas start for Surge Ahead, courageous winner of today’s Connoisseur Stakes (1800 m) at Flemington. Cummings says there is plenty of upside to Surge Ahead, which gave Damien Oliver a double and continued his spectacular VRC carnival.
Cummings says Surge Ahead’s career didn’t swing on running in the Sandown Guineas, which this year will be run ar Caulfield on Niovember 16.
“I think he’s a nice horse and he’s got a really bright future,” Cummings says. “If the Sandown Guineas is part of that future it is fine, if not well that’s also fine.”
One of the qualities that he likes about this son of Danehill Dancer is that whenever he’s challenged he rises to it.
He says he took a punt bringing Surge Ahead to the Connoisseur Stakes as he has speed in his pedigree.
“It was a bit of an act of faith in the way the horse is built and the way he acted and the way he appeared to us in the stable,” Cummings says.
Surge Ahead, a drifter from $6 to $8.50, scored by three-quarters of a length from Pompeius, $21, with a head to Gallatin, the $2.35 favorite, third.