The sentiment from both James McDonald and James Cummings was clear after In Secret’s comfortable two-length win in the Coolmore Stakes at Flemington – she showed her toughness early.
And this was the foundation for a brilliant performance which had champion hoop McDonald punching the sky in jubilation after crossing the finishing post.
“There was some mucking around at the start where Economics had to come out,” he told racing.com.
“It was just a bit of a shambles really.
“We were in there a long time and she was just on song and ready to go.
“She just jumped in the air, but she’s a good filly.”
McDonald said In Secret showed great racing nous and poise for a three-year-old to respond to his early urgings.
“I had to muscle her to get a spot pretty quickly instead of gliding into that spot,” he said.
“But it was very important to get to that spot for my winning chances. As it turned out she won by a margin, but at the time I thought it was important.”
2022 Coolmore Stud Stakes Race Replay – In Secret
Star conditioner Cummings went further with his praise.
“She’s a much stronger filly than she gets credit for, and I feel she’s one of the best horses we’ve got on the farm,” he said.
“It’s a big effort from our entire team to have her here cherry-ripe on the day.
“She put them away drawing clear on the line.
“You don’t often see that in a set weights three-year-old Group 1 like this in the Coolmore.
“This is like the Golden Slipper of the Spring Carnival for the three-year-olds.”
Cummings breathed a big sigh of relief after winning a feature sprint over 1200m which he desperately coveted.
“That’s a big achievement for our team to win it. We came so close with Bivouac a few years ago who was bang-on for the day, but it just poured rain,” he said.
“He went from being favourite to second-favourite behind Exceedance and I’d love to have that day over again on a day like this.
“Just a special performance from a very good filly.”
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