Cummings Eyes Queen Elizabeth for Colette

Somebody forgot to tell Australian Oaks and Golden Eagle heroine Colette that she wasn’t fancied for Saturday’s Gr1 Apollo Stakes. Allowed to go off at $11 with in form Rachel King in the irons, the daughter of Hallowed Crown took advantage of the soft underfoot conditions from persistent rain to romp away like a $1.50 chance. The demolition job left Godolphin trainer James Cummings with a grin as wide as a river mouth and options galore. According to punters.com.au, the one-time Sydney Cup aim for Colette has suddenly taken a back seat with Cummings acknowledging that he’s now leaning towards the rich weight-for-age Gr1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes instead. “She has just been going so well and she well and truly has the Queen Elizabeth Stakes on the radar,” he said. “When you get that race on the radar, it’s hard to get off!” Meanwhile, King was equally effusive in her praise of the diminutive filly: “Colette doesn’t think she’s a little horse, she thinks she is bigger and tougher than all of them. She has that huge heart and will to win…”

Colette was exceptional first-up in the Apollo (pic: Steve Hart)