A rousing gallop by Sydney Cup contender Zavite has trainer Anthony Cummings confident he and Damien Oliver can combine for an overdue Group One win this autumn.Oliver rode Zavite last Saturday week when he was beaten a neck by Littorio in the BMW (2400m).He was also aboard Road To Rock in Saturday's Doncaster Mile and his pain at coming a half neck second was increased when he came back to scale 1.3 kilograms overweight.A three week suspension for the offence begins after Saturday's Sydney Cup
A rousing gallop by Sydney Cup contender Zavite has trainer Anthony Cummings confident he and Damien Oliver can combine for an overdue Group One win this autumn.
Oliver rode Zavite last Saturday week when he was beaten a neck by Littorio in the BMW (2400m).
He was also aboard Road To Rock in Saturday's Doncaster Mile and his pain at coming a half neck second was increased when he came back to scale 1.3 kilograms overweight.
A three week suspension for the offence begins after Saturday's Sydney Cup meeting.
Cummings opted to give Zavite a workout between races at Randwick on Saturday rather than run him in the JRA Plate.
"The horse is fit and well and I didn't want to give him too hard a time a week out from the race," Cummings said.
"He will go into the race with three weeks between runs which I think is ideal.
"I just thought it would be good for him to come over on a raceday with a large crowd here as there will be next Saturday."
In saying that he didn't want to give Zavite a hard time, Cummings watched the seven-year-old put in a strong solo workout, covering 2000 metres in 2:10.93s, coming home his last 600 in 34.76, and his last 200 in 10.66.
"That's a winning gallop," Cummings said.
Zavite claimed an overdue Group One victory when he beat Booming in the Auckland Cup (3200m) on March 10.
Booming ran a strong third in the JRA Plate (2000m) won by Herculian Prince who is not in the Sydney Cup.
Precedence remains the $7 favourite for the Sydney Cup despite his fifth in the Chairman's Handicap (2600m) on April 10 when he once again pulled hard throughout.
No Wine No Song, winner of the 2008 Sydney Cup, is on the second line of betting at $8 with Littorio while Zavite is a $9 chance.
Chairman's Handicap winner Jessicabeel and New Zealander Harris Tweed who ran third, are at $10 with Capecover at $13 and Moatize and Booming at $15.
Zavite is topweight with 58.5kg with No Wine No Song on 58 and Littorio on 57.5kg.
Precedence has 52.5kg, half a kilo more than Booming.