Hard Pick claims home track win

*Article by John Curtis for hawkesburyraceclub.com.au

EDWARD Cummings got a lightly-raced maiden on the board, while Hawkesbury trainers book-ended their home track meeting today, lifting the number of winners prepared at the provincial track so far this season to 44.

Cummings, who has his triple Group 1 winning mare Duais heading to the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley on Saturday week and talented Strait Acer on track for the $10m Golden Eagle (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens on November 4, claimed his fifth win of the season when Hard Pick ($7) broke through in the Ladies Day 9 Nov Provincial Maiden Plate (1300m).

Cummings and jockey Tyler Schiller warmed up for a Golden Eagle tilt by combining with Hard Pick, who was having only his sixth start when he swept down the outside with momentum to overhaul $2.45 favorite Brave Agenda.

An $80,000 yearling purchase last year at the Gold Coast, the Flying Artie three-year-old was beaten at Bathurst at his previous start.

“We took him there trying to win a race, and at least we now have his maiden out of the way,” Cummings said.

“Hard Pick looks to me as though he will run 2000m even though his breeding doesn’t say he will.

“There’s a nice race for him at Randwick on November 7, a Benchmark 64 Handicap (1300m) for three and four-year-olds.

“His performance there will give us a clearer guide as to where we are going with him.”

Whilst Cummings was understandably pleased to score with Hard Pick and securing Schiller for his $1m Silver Eagle runner-up Strait Acer, he was at a loss to understand how the latter’s benchmark rating could be raised 18 points to 103 after his Silver Eagle performance.

With Tommy Berry, who rode Strait Acer in his fast-closing second to Vienna Princess in last Saturday’s Silver Eagle (1300m) at Randwick, taking the mount on Epsom runner-up Kovalica, Cummings was happy to book Schiller for the rich assignment in a fortnight.

Image Courtesy of Bradley Photos