The old adage of never underestimate a Bart Cummings runner in a Group One race at Flemington certainly held true again at Flemington on Saturday after his three-year-old gelding Rock Classic upstaged the big names to win the $750,000 Australian Guineas (1600 metres).
The feature race for three-year-olds in the Melbourne autumn carnival was expected to be a three-way battle between hot favourite Denman, leading Victorian trainer Peter Moody's filly Set For Fame and the Lloyd Williams' owned Linton, which had scored a remarkable win in the Group Two Alister Clark Stakes at Moonee Valley at his last outing.
But Rock Classic, who was having just his fifth start and was coming off a win in a modest race at Rosehill, upstaged them all as he sprinted away from Set For Fame while Linton ran on from last on the corner to finish third while Denman - the odds-on favourite that had won nine of his 11 starts coming into the Guineas - finished a distant fourth as he failed to stay the Flemington mile.
Cummings' chances of winning the Australian Guineas appeared over when his champion three-year-old So You Think - the winner of last year's Cox Plate - went amiss but instead it was his supposed 'second stringer' that came out and blew away the three favourites.
It was yet another superb training performance from the 'Cups King' as a series of gear changes worked wonders for Rock Classic, who had raced erratically at his previous win in Sydney.
"He had a few problems but we resolved the problems," Cummings told TVN.
"He used to get his tongue over the bit but he didn’t like the tongue tie so we put a Norton bit on that prevents them from getting the tongue over the bit."
"And we put blinkers on because the other day (in Sydney) he kept looking at horses around him on the inside or outside."
"If he was outside them he goes away from them and if he is inside them, he runs into the fence and wouldn't take the openings."
"But we corrected those problems and while he was our second rank (after So You Think) he has been good enough to take his place."
Rock Classic - which paid $13.10 for the win on local totes - is now likely to head to the Sydney carnival and Cummings predicted a bright future for his newest star.
"I think he is a very, very good horse only just learning what to do," Cummings said.
Jockey Michael Rodd says he never ceases to be amazed at Cummings' ability to get horse to peak at just the right time in big races, particularly after the Guineas was delayed a week following last week's freak hail storm at Flemington.
"I take out a new mortgage every time he rings me up (to ride one of his horses)," Rodd joked of Cummings.
"It's great to be teaming with him in these big races and you can never rule him out."
"This horse has always had some sort of ability but we just thought it might be a little too soon for him."
Meanwhile Queensland galloper Shoot Out took out the Group One Randwick Guineas for three-year-olds over 1600 metres in Sydney ahead of the Gai Waterhouse trained Viking Legend.
Shoot Out, which had finished second behind Monton at his previous start in the Hobartville Stakes over 1400 metres at Rosehill on February 27, started favourite on the NSW TAB at $2.90.