After winning million dollar The Hunter last weekend, Vilana has impressed Godolphin’s traveling assistant Nacim Delmi on how the four-year-old has settled in since making the trip to Perth and a is highly likely to be a starter in the $1.5 million Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) on Saturday.
“I’m very impressed with how Vilana travelled considering that he raced a couple of days before leaving for Perth,” Delmi said.
“There’s no reason why he wouldn’t go to the Winterbottom and we’ll see how we go after that and maybe then head towards The Gold Rush.”
The $1.5 million Gold Rush is the new feature on the fifth day of The Pinnacles at Ascot over 1400 metres on December 10 and while Cascadian, Kementari and Paulele all had a trip to Perth on James Cummings’ radar, Vilana’s win in The Hunter saw him become a late addition.
Vilana had a track gallop at Belmont with stablemate Paulele, who is also Winterbottom-bound, on Saturday with both horses working well to Delmi’s eye.
Vilana occupies the second line of TAB’s all-in Winterbottom market at $5 with Rothfire the $4.50 favourite while Paulele is rated a $9 chance.
“Paulele deserves to win a Group 1 very soon but to split them, I would just say Paulele as he is knocking on the door,” Delmi adds.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Vilana gave him a good shake-up because he’s feeling pretty well.”
Ben Melham will ride Paulele in in the Winterbottom while Jamie Kah has been booked to ride Vilana.
Seven-year-old Cascadian finished two lengths away from Alligator Blood to run fifth in the Group 1 Champions Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on November 5 and has also made the trip Perth unscathed.
“He’s really enjoying himself,” Delmi adds.
“This is the best he’s looked in quite a while and he’s enjoying sunny Perth. We’re going to give him a trial on Monday and then he’ll head to the Northerly Stakes in two weeks.”
James Mcdonald will ride Cascadian in the 1800m Group 1 feature and will cast his eye over the Godolphin team as they go around in trials and gallops over Monday and Tuesday.
Stable warhorse Kementari has so settled well into familiar surroundings as he aims to win the now Gold Rush, formerly run as the AJ Scahill Stakes, for the second time having claimed the race in 2020.
Kementari finished seventh behind Giga Kick in The Everest (1200m) and followed up with a third placing in the Nature Strip Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill on October 29.
“It is worth a little bit more now,” Delmi joked of the rapid prizemoney boost for The Gold Rush.
“It would have been silly to keep him in Sydney but he comes here like it is his own backyard.
“He raced really well in The Everest and we couldn’t be happier with him.”