Star colt Anamoe proved himself Australia’s champion 3YO with an emphatic triumph in Saturday’s G1 Caulfield Guineas that added another Classic to the Godolphin worldwide tally for 2021.

Given every chance from his wide gate by jockey Damien Oliver, Anamoe travelled smoothly in midfield until the 500m when he began to move forward to be five lengths off the lead turning into the short Caulfield straight.

From that point he reeled in the leaders, joining the runner-up Captivant with 150m to run before forging clear to score by a half-length.

Artorius, like Anamoe a G1 winner as a juvenile, finished third, a further three-quarters of a length away.

On a day when the Godolphin colt, Paulele laid claim to the title of Australia’s best sprinting 3YO with his victory in the G2 Roman Consul Stakes at Randwick, Anamoe confirmed the form that last season made him the country’s best 2YO.

“He’s always been in the mould of a colt who would relish the mile of today’s race,” said assistant trainer Sean Keogh, who saddled Anamoe for trainer James Cummings.

“He’s such a rare animal, a champion 2YO who is now the top 3YO.”

The Caulfield Guineas is one of Australia’s great stallion-making races and Anamoe fulfilled the requirements of the winner of such an event.

The son of Street Boss had been placed at G1 in Australia’s two best 2YO races, the Blue Diamond Stakes and the Golden Slipper, both at 1,200m. He then improved on that form to win the G1 ATC Sires Produce Stakes at 1,400m before his winter spell.

Anamoe returned for his Classic season in top form, winning the G2 Run To The Rose and then finishing second in the G1 Golden Rose.

The Guineas gave him his fifth victory, his second at G1 and took his earnings beyond $3.25 million.

Keogh credited the victory to the entire Australian operation.

“A lot went into it, and to produce him on the day with an effort like that was just outstanding from the team in Sydney and all around Australia. They’ll be very proud of this horse,” Keogh said.

“We’d seen from when he broke his maiden that he was very much in the mould of his sire, Street Boss.”

Anamoe’s win gave Oliver his first G1 win for Godolphin and completed a rare, personal treble for the jockey who recalled he had ridden a G1 winner for James Cumming’s grandfather Bart and for his father Anthony. It also gave him his first Caulfield Guineas success in 31 years.

“It’s been a long time between drinks, and it took a top class colt to do it. He’s shown us so much since day one,” Oliver said.

“He’s just a magnificent specimen of a horse. When I got on him today, the first time in a little while, I could see that he had grown into a beautiful horse that we thought he would.”

While Paulele may have been slightly upstaged by his stablemate, his chance at G1 success will come later in the spring in either the Manikato Stakes or the Coolmore Stud Stakes.

But before that he will be considered as the occupant of Godolphin’s slot in the $15 million The Everest at Randwick next Saturday.

Cummings said the team would give thought to Paulele backing up in the Everest, for which the stable’s veteran sprinter Trekking is also a prospect.

“I think it’s worthwhile giving it a lot of thought to the Everest,” Cummings said.

“He’s knocking on the door to be a potential G1 horse and that is for us to consider. There is not long to go before we have to lock in our own horse in the Everest.”

Paulele sustained a powerful sprint from midfield at the 400m to score by 1-1/2 lengths from Gleneagles with King of Sparta in third place.

 Godolphin