James Cummings would not commit to a start for Paulele in next week’s Everest after the son of Dawn Approach (IRE) captured the Group II Lexus Schillaci Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Ridden by James McDonald, Paulele battled through a narrow gap, copped an accidental slap across the nose, but still proved three-quarter of a length too good for his fast-finishing stablemate Ingratiating (Frosted), with a length back to Zoustyle (Zoustar) in third.
With his fifth stakes win, Paulele advances his record to seven wins, four seconds, and two thirds from 18 starts with earnings of $1,535,200.
“James was very cool about how he was approaching the race and that is exactly how I wanted it to be,” Cummings said.
“He remained one-and-a-half, two off in the early stages, but he wasn’t worried to be in the box seat 200 (metres) from home being held up. When he had the opportunity to burst through the gap, he looked bloody good the last furlong.
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“We’ve got to talk about what horse we’ll run in The Everest. Both these bulls are capable of a seven-day back-up. I backed Paulele up once with confidence in the Randwick Carnival and he ran third.
“I backed up Ingratiating into a Blue Diamond, and he was only just beaten. Both are capable and we’ll talk about what we do.
“Meanwhile, the Manikato is sitting there, and they’re going to run slashing races if we hold them back for that. We’ve got some options with both and they’re both well and truly capable of graduating to our roster.
“They’re cracking horses with excellent two-year-old form, good-looking horses and I promise you that they’re very hard to make so we have to look after them.”
James McDonald said Paulele did not flinch when taking a narrow gap.
“We were sweating on a run a bit, and he was the right horse to take the gap at that point in time. He exploded through, and luckily he was good enough on the day,” McDonald said.
A three-quarter brother to the Group III VRC Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes winner Montsegur (New Approach), dam of Heresy, and a half-brother to Group III ATC Canonbury Stakes winner Tessera (Medaglia d'Oro), Paulele is one of seven winners from eight to race out of the Flying Spur mare Chatoyant.
A daughter of the blue hen Decidity (Last Tycoon), Chatoyant is a half-sister to Group 1 VRC Myer Classic winner Bonaria (Redoute's Choice), Group III winner Time Out (Rory's Jester) and the Group III winner and Group 1-placed Legally Bay (Snippets), the dam of Merchant Navy and Jolie Bay.
With three-stakes-winners to her credit, Chatoyant earned an honourable pension in February last year.
Her final foal is a 2yo Exosphere filly named Chrysoberyl.
