Polarisation (GB) (Echo Of Light {GB}) holds the rare distinction of 'winning' the G1 Sydney Cup twice in the same season after he made good the promise shown when galloping across the line first in the void race of April 8 by claiming a deserved victory in Saturday's rescheduled contest.
The Godolphin team has confirmed that his longer-term aim will now be Australia's even more famous staying contest, the G1 Emirates Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday of November.
Charlie Appleby's assistant trainer James Ferguson, who has been overseeing Godolphin's British-based challengers in Sydney, told Australian radio station RSN 927 that the 5-year-old would return to Newmarket before heading back to the Southern Hemisphere later in the year.
“He's had two hard races in a row, so we'll take him home, and we won't worry about a future just yet,” said Ferguson. “We'll see how he is when he gets back, and if he's fit and well and giving us all the right signs when it comes to choosing our Melbourne Cup team, then we'll definitely bring him back.”
Referring to the task of bringing Polarisation and his stablemate Penglai Pavilion (Monsun {Ger}) back to their peak after the initial race was abandoned when Almoonqith (Aus) suffered a fatal injury, he added, “We had them ready on the day. Polarisation went and won the first time––you have to take these situations as they come, that's racing for you, and there were more important things at hand. We respected the decision that happened.”
He continued, “It was very important to freshen things up. We came over to run him fresh. Everyone was asking if he was okay to run first-up two miles, but that was our plan. It was very important to let these horses get back to enjoying themselves. They did everything right for us. We were very, very easy on them in the first week then we stepped their work up that last week going into the Cup. I didn't do any fast work with them at all.
“They were thriving, but we had never been in that situation. At home, you'd never run two miles two weeks after running a two-mile race, so it was a bit of an experiment.”
A five-time winner in Britain prior to his Sydney Cup victory and also runner-up in a solitary start over hurdles, Polarisation is the first top-flight winner for his late sire Echo Of Light, who was also a Group-winning Godolphin colour-bearer and son of Sheikh Mohammed's favourite horse Dubai Millennium.
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