The Main Man

Kermadec (NZ) (Teofilo {Ire}) proved his worth when besting his elders as a lightly raced 3-year-old in last term’s prestigious G1 Doncaster H., and that Chris Waller charge gets another shot at Group 1 glory over the same track and trip in Saturday’s G1 George Main S. Kermadec has recorded two respectable efforts this season without winning, the most recent being a second in the G2 Chelmsford S. Sept. 5 after traveling wide. One slot behind him on that occasion was stablemate Royal Descent (Aus) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}), who filled the same position in the Doncaster but snapped a 17-month losing streak when besting a strong field, including Kermadec, first-up in the G2 Warwick S. Aug. 22. Royal Descent’s jockey Hugh Bowman, however, was less than optimistic the mare could turn the tables on Kermadec again.

“To be honest, I’m not sure if she can beat Kermadec,” Bowman told Racing and Sports. “He beat us fair and square last start at weight-for-age and had to do more work than us. I think he’ll improve even further off that, but I’m not sure how much she’ll improve. I respect horses like Pornichet, but I think it’s only him [Kermadec] that can beat her.”

Gai Waterhouse’s French import Pornichet (Fr) (Vespone {Ire}), who earned a victory at the highest level in the G1 Doomben Cup May 9, looked sharp when second in the Warwick but has something to prove after dropping to sixth in the Chelmsford.