James Cummings has asked many tough questions of Broadsiding in his brief career, but non as stern as what he will put to him this Saturday at Moonee Valley.
The son of Too Darn Hot will take on quality gallopers from all over the world in the $5 million Cox Plate (2040m).
He might have been beaten as an odds-on favourite last start in the Caulfield Guineas, but Broadsiding won his previous five starts – including three at Group 1 level – and Cummings said this weekend’s race presented an opportunity to thrust his profile into another stratosphere.
“It’s as good a test as we can give a young horse, but it’s a testament to the horse that we think he’s worthy of taking his place in a Cox Plate,” Cummings said.
“There are two races in a colt’s career that are the most telling races for the horse’s potential to be a future star at stud; one’s the Golden Slipper and the other is the Cox Plate.
“We’ve retired a Cox Plate winner to stud already, Anamoe, and he commanded the highest service fee of any first season sire in Australian breeding history, so it’d be nice to be able to retire another colt to stud that’s won a Cox Plate in Broadsiding.
“That’s the mission he has ahead of him.”
Broadsiding took four starts to break his maiden, in the Listed Fernhill Stakes (1600m), while the also won the Champagne Stakes (1600m) and JJ Atkins (1600m) at Group 1 level and the Group 2 BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at two.
Those wins carried him to Australian Champion 2YO honours.
The second named-foal from the Street Cry mare Speedway, Broadsiding logged another Group 1 win first-up as a three-year-old in the Golden Rose (1400m), which was his only start before the Caulfield Guineas.
Only Fields Of Omagh and Winx have won the Cox Plate at their third run for the campaign in the past 40 years and while Cummings knows Broadsiding has been set a task, he came into the campaign confident it was the right approach given what was asked of him at two.
“If you observe the way we campaigned the horse as a two-year-old, that gives you a bit of a feel that we have a lot of faith in his constitution to have travelled three states and won over a mile three times as a two-year-old, which is a big effort,” Cummings said.
“He’s been to the mile only once so far this prep, so we’ve brought him here off a pretty light campaign, but he’s been able to do that because he had such a great foundation from his two-year-old season.”
The benefits of victory would run beyond the usual for Broadsiding, who is a member of the first Australian crop of Darley stallion Too Darn Hot.
Group 2 winners Too Darn Discreet and Too Darn Lizzie are also among that group, while Fallen Angel has won two Group 1s for Too Darn Hot in Ireland, but a Cox Plate win against the likes of Prognosis, Pride Of Jenni, Via Sistina and Mr Brightside would solidify Broadsiding’s status.
“He’s done so much for Too Darn Hot already, everything from here on in is a bonus, but I think it will continue to take things to the next level if he can break through at this level at such an early age.”
Broadsiding would be in good company if he does become just the fourth three-year-old to win the Cox Plate in the 21st century.
The others are Savabeel, So You Think and Shamus Award, who have all had decorated careers at stud.