Anamoe launches in Apollo

Australia’s weight-for-age champion Anamoe started his autumn campaign with a clinical victory in Saturday’s $250,000 Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) at Randwick.

Godolphin’s seven-time Group 1 winner settled in the box seat under James McDonald and never appeared in danger of losing – albeit casual over the concluding stages – winning in an overall time of 1:22.71.

Anamoe ($1.60 favourite) defeated Hinged ($14) by a half-length, with Fangirl ($8.50) finishing a length behind the winner.

This season’s G1 Empire Rose winner Icebath ($21) attacked the line in restricted room for fourth, while multiple G1 winner Mo’unga ($10) covered extra ground yet stayed on gamely for fifth.

“Today I really felt him clock off with 150 metres to go and I was trying to encourage him and he’s only just put a half-length on Hinged,” McDonald told SKY Thoroughbred Central.

“She’s a good horse Hinged and with Fangirl in third, it was a proper race.

“He (Anamoe) is a phenomenal horse and the reason being is because he’s got an amazing demeanor. He conserves energy in a race like no horse that I’ve ridden. He doesn’t spend a penny, then he accelerates.

“As a two-year-old he used to have a wow factor of putting a field away, as these stallions get older, he’s lost that.”

Godolphin’s Australian head trainer James Cummings said Anamoe had come back to the racetrack for the second half of his four-year-old season as a “better, more mature horse”.

“James (McDonald) made that look absolutely painless,” Cummings said. “He allowed him to use his ability to be prominent in these weight-for-age races and he was terrific.

“We are very proud of Anamoe and it’s great for the team to have the great horse back.”

Anamoe will have his next start in the $600,000 G1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on February 25, setting up a rematch with several Apollo Stakes rivals.

The Street Boss entire has won 12 of his 22 starts, including five of his six outings this season, and collected $10.7 million in prizemoney.