Tom Kitten ($11) has returned to the racetrack as a winner after getting the better of Kintyre ($19) in the final strides to claim the Group 3 Up And Coming Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday.
The son of Harry Angel was given 59kg – which was four kilograms more than any other runner – but it didn’t matter, as the James Cummings-trained colt wound up in the final 200m to reel in the leader.
Throughout the day at Rosehill, the inside running rail has appeared the best place to be in the home straight, but Nash Rawiller didn’t worry about the inside and got his leggy colt out into clear air and let him go through his gears.
Given how hard he ran through the line and that he defied the clear track bias, Tom Kitten is in for a massive spring campaign in the coming weeks and months.
2023 Up And Coming Stakes Replay – Tom Kitten
Winning trainer James Cummings was very pleased with the win of his colt, and he spoke post-race.
“That is an exceptional win first up,” Cummings said.
“It is not entirely surprising that he throws up a PB first up in his second prep but to give upwards of four and five kilos to these horses is a special performance and a very promising platform for the rest of the spring.
“It is not easy for a two-year-old to win over a mile at Group level.
“I was thinking a couple of weeks ago that he has Spring Champion written all over him.
“We will make sure that he is still in the (Golden Rose) noms. It’s a month away.
“He probably has got a bit to do to convince me that he is going to be quick enough at seven against those horses, but you never know.”
After riding Tom Kitten twice during his two-year-old preparation, it wasn’t hard to work out how much Nash Rawiller enjoys riding this classy colt.
“It is exciting to get on him,” Rawiller said.
“After riding him through last prep I was thinking we might have a nice horse and going round to the gates today I thought we’ve got a horse.
“We had plans to ride for luck in the run, with the big weight, try and save ground, ride for the better part of the track.
“I straightened up and had a look, and it was like trying to park a bus in George Street.
“He’s a horse you will never find the bottom off. He has gears.
“When you have had a bit to do with them as a young horse and they come back it is pretty exciting.”
Tom Kitten is now the second favourite with most online bookmakers at $6 in the Spring Champion Stakes futures markets.
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