Drop Back in Class will Assist Kementari

Contesting Group 1 class races at five of his last seven starts, the James Cummings-trained 6YO gelding Kementari (Lonhro-Yavanna, by Redoute's Choice) drops to Listed level for the first time in his career this Saturday. Outside of his first two starts, Kementari has never contested any race outside group level, and Saturday's Listed Wayne Wilson (1600m) at Eagle Farm looks an outstanding opportunity for the Gr1 winner to break through for his first win since December last year when victorious in the Gr3 A J Scahill Stakes. On that occasion he defeated recent $3.2m Magic Millions Broodmare Sale seller Celebrity Queen (Redoute's Choice) by a length margin. With Kerrin McEvoy in the saddle, Kementari has drawn barrier seven of eight, but in the small field it should pose no issue. Down the track behind Vega One (Lope de Vega) in the Gr1 Kingsford-Smith Cup last start, many of the runners in the field, like Kementari, will appreciate the drop back in class with the Chris Waller pair of Mister Sea Wolf (Amadeus Wolf-Rose de France, by Diktat) and Kings Will Dream (Casamento-Road Harbour, by Rodrigo de Triano) both in the same position, having contested the higher rating Gr2 Hollindale Stakes and Gr1 Doomben 10,000, respectively last time out. Creating a great deal of interest is the Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained Delphi (Galileo-Bye Bye Birdie, by Oasis Dream), who is having his first Australian start off the back of winning four of his five European starts, most recently defeating Master Of Reality (Frankel) by a narrow margin in the Gr3 Irish St leger Trial at the Curragh in August 2020.

Kementari drops to Listed class (pic: Steve Hart)