Trekking has a ticket into the $14 million Everest at Randwick after his win in the Schillaci Stakes and Godolphin trainer James Cummings will see how the sprinter comes through the Caulfield victory before locking in the challenge.
Cummings and the Godolphin team targeted Saturday’s Group Two Schillaci (1100m) with Trekking with the view to having the option to back him up seven days later in The Everest if he was successful and came through it well.
Having the second start of his spring campaign after an eye-catching return in the Moir Stakes, Trekking with Kerrin McEvoy aboard, chased down Sydney speedster Ball Of Muscle late to win the Schillaci by a long neck with The Bostonian the same margin away third.
The Schillaci winner is offered the Melbourne Racing Club‘s slot in The Everest (1200m) and connections have until midway through Sunday to accept.
“It’s on the table,” Cummings said.
“We’ve got the opportunity to take full advantage of the time up until mid-day tomorrow to make our decision.
“But I’ll be on the phone to the boys in the morning and I’ll be seeing how the horse has pulled up because his health and welfare will come first.
“It’s going to come down to a little bit more than that. We’ve got our own slot in the race already. The fact that Ball Of Muscle ran second, I suppose they are going to be hanging on our decision.
“But Trekking is a marvellous horse. He’s unbeaten at Randwick in two starts there and he certainly wouldn’t look out of place as a dominant Stradbroke winner and he flew with the fastest last furlong fresh up in the Group One Moir.
“Here I am making the case for him but really the horse is going to be the one that’s going to tell us in the morning.”
Trekking is at $21 for The Everest.
Godolphin has a slot in the race which will be taken up by star mare Alizee who is an $11 chance with the Anthony Freedman-trained Santa Ana Lane $4.60 favourite.