Anamoe has become just the second horse this century to win a Group 1 at age two, three and four, with a brilliant victory in the Winx Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick.
The four-year-old by Street Boss stamped himself as one of, if not the best horse in Australia with his first-up win, with trainer James Cummings confident that he can continue on his winning ways throughout the spring carnival.
After jumping from barrier one under James McDonald, the entire switched back to the inside in the straight and was too strong for a fast-finishing Fangirl and a brave Profondo.
2022 Winx Stakes Race Replay
Cummings, who already claimed the Group 3 Toy Show Quality earlier in the day, was quite emotional post-race, saying it is an honour to race a horse like Anamoe.
“He's a proper horse, isn't he?” Cummings said.
“It's a pleasure for us to have a horse as good as this back in fore.
“We feel like we can lift his value, lift his reputation – it's Group 1 win number four – you can't help but feel he's well and truly stamped himself as the horse to beat in everything he runs in this preparation.
“Without an international horse, this horse might have won a Cox Plate, a Caulfield Guineas and if he draws a gate in the (Golden) Slipper, he's won a Slipper. Far out, name me a colt that's not far off going to stud that's done that.
“He's a pretty special horse to have around.”
Winning rider James McDonald has had plenty to do with the star horse, and he believes he is right up there with the best he's ridden.
McDonald had one word to describe Anamoe: “superstar”.
“He's a superstar. Dare I say it, he's definitely got better from three to four, which obviously same can, some don't, but this horse is a different horse.
“He's not so babyish now, he's putting it on all together. That was a great performance of a horse who's just obviously improving – he will only get better as he gets on as well.
“I don't have enough words to say about him in terms of speaking highly enough of him, because he's just a beautiful horse and I'm lucky to strap myself to him.”
Anamoe has now firmed into joint favouritism for the 2022 Cox Plate, with Ladbrokes rating him a $5 chance in his quest to go one-better than what he did in 2021.