Apache Cat's Hong Kong plans were in tatters after the Bart Cummings-trained Swick popped his Group One bubble in Saturday's Patinack Farm Classic at Flemington.Australia's reigning champion sprinter was going for his sixth Group One win in a row but was a beaten horse at the 600 metres and only struggled home into eighth place in the 11-horse field in the $500,000 1200m feature."It is probably the worst run he has ever put in his life and there is no explanation for it," trainer Greg Eurell sai
Apache Cat's Hong Kong plans were in tatters after the Bart Cummings-trained Swick popped his Group One bubble in Saturday's Patinack Farm Classic at Flemington.
Australia's reigning champion sprinter was going for his sixth Group One win in a row but was a beaten horse at the 600 metres and only struggled home into eighth place in the 11-horse field in the $500,000 1200m feature.
"It is probably the worst run he has ever put in his life and there is no explanation for it," trainer Greg Eurell said.
Apache Cat was having his first run for the spring and Eurell said that the rich Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin on December 14 was now in doubt for the big chestnut.
"There is a big cloud over it now," Eurell said.
Meanwhile, Cummings broke new ground for himself when, for the first time in the same year, he trained the winner of the Melbourne Cup and the premier sprint at the Cup carnival.
The Patinack Farm Classic has had various names over the years and was run on Derby Day until two years ago.
Swick gave Cummings his sixth win in the feature sprint after finishing fourth to Dance Hero in 2006 and fifth of six to Miss Andretti last year.
Cummings first won the race with Century in 1973 when the race was known as the Craven A Stakes while his other winners were Maybe Mahal (1976), Foregone Conclusion (1982), Taj Quillo (1986) and Unspoken Word (1992).
Viewed gave Cummings his 12th Melbourne Cup victory with a stunning form reversal at $41 but punters anticipated Swick would improve and backed him from $21 to $16 on Saturday to give the legendary trainer his 251st Group One win.
On Derby Day when Viewed finished last in the Mackinnon Stakes, Swick finished 10th to Hot Danish in the Group Two Salinger Stakes (1200m).
Saturday was Swick's 11th start down the straight and he had always promised to win a Group one sprint at Flemington.
A year ago he won the Salinger Stakes (1200m) on Derby Day and last autumn finished second to Apache Cat in the Lightning Stakes (1000m) and fourth to Weekend Hussler in the Newmarket Handicap (1200m).
"I don't get confident, I just work them the way I think is the way to go and hope for the best," Cummings said, referring to Swick's chances.
"He loves it up the straight here and they were ideal conditions for him today with plenty of space in a small field where he could get cracking out in the middle, and the rest is history."
Ridden by Michael Rodd, Swick streaked down the centre of the track from last to win by a half-length from Turffontein ($26), trained by Cummings' son Anthony, with Sunburnt Land ($3.80) a length away third.
Cummings said that on the racetrack was the only place he could beat Anthony.
"I have to get square with him somehow because he is too big to handle," Cummings said.
Rodd was thrilled to win a Group One race for Cummings and said that Swick was a deserving winner.
"He is a horse who needs a lot of luck because he gets back in his races, but in the smaller field he didn't settle too far from them and he was able to get a cart up to them," Rodd said.
"I can't believe how easily he won."
Cummings suggested that this week may have been the start of a succession of Group One winners in the near future after taking months to get his 250th Group One winner last Tuesday.
"I'm on the roll again now," Cummings said.