Anamoe was always going to be a hard act to follow for the next generation of Godolphin stars, but after an extended period of toil, the autumn is starting to bring rewards for James Cummings.
The departure of Vin Cox in the spring was seen across the industry as a bit of a crossroads for Godolphin.
One of the most respected thoroughbred executives in the land had decided his career was best served elsewhere. Yulong’s emergence had made it clear that Godolphin, a global powerhouse over the past 30 years, was no longer necessarily the No.1 destination for the best and brightest in Australia.
Cox’s departure came at a point of inflection anyway for Godolphin and its Darley stallion operation. The 2022/23 season had been, thanks largely to Anamoe, a career-best for James Cummings, with 11 Group 1 wins and over $35 million worth of prizemoney banked. However, change comes quick.
Anamoe, the most prolific Group 1 winner in the blue army’s global history, retired, so too did fellow Group 1 winner Paulele, leaving Cummings with only a trio of elite winners in his stable, Cascadian, In Secret and Golden Mile, ahead of the new season.
This post is for our free members
Thanks for your interest in The Straight. It looks like you are trying to access a free members article via an in-app browser on X, Facebook or LinkedIn. For the best experience, and instant access, sign on via the Social Sign In links below. You should only need to do this once.
If you wish to access or create an email-based account, please provide your email below. You will receive a link to click by email which will then open in your device’s native browser.
