Racing: Cummings travels rocky road to success after loss

SYDNEY - Anthony Cummings' decision to stick with Damien Oliver after his controversial Doncaster defeat paid dividends when the jockey guided Road To Rock to a thrilling win in Saturday's Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick.

Oliver returned to scale more than 1kg overweight after finishing a half-neck second aboard Road To Rock in the Doncaster Mile seven days ago but gained some redemption in the Queen Elizabeth (2000m), guiding the 5-year-old to a deserved win.

While Road To Rock's connections were left to wonder what might have been, Cummings said he never held any ill-feeling toward Oliver.

"We just moved on, you can't do undo it," Cummings said.

"What do they say? Shit happens.

"But that will go some way towards easing the pain of last week."

Oliver rode a patient race aboard Road To Rock ($3.30 fav) with New Zealand 3-year-old Monaco Consul taking up the role of pacemaker from his outside draw.

He led into the straight before Triple Honour ($12) and Road To Rock pounced with the latter quickly getting the better of the Chris Waller-trained runner-up to score by two lengths.

Monaco Consul ($8.50) battled on valiantly for third another three-quarters of a length away.

Oliver was delighted to win the group one for Road To Rock's connections after the dramas of a week ago. "The horse had the race in command a long way out."

Road To Rock will now head to Singapore for the International Cup on May 16, a day after Oliver's three-week suspension for his weight offence expires.

He will be in Singapore to ride the David Hayes-trained Eagle Falls in the KrisFlyer Sprint and is keen to stick with Road To Rock.

Waller scratched Doncaster winner Rangirangdoo from the Queen Elizabeth after deciding he had done enough this campaign.

The runner-up has earned a winter carnival campaign in Brisbane with the Doomben Cup his major target.

"He may even go straight into it. We've got to place him right at this stage of his career," Waller said.

"He's a very genuine horse, we've got to look after him."

Paul Moroney, co-trainer of Monaco Consul, said the colt appreciated racing in Australia after he bounced back from a lacklustre three-start campaign in New Zealand over summer to be placed in the AJC Australian Derby and Queen Elizabeth.

"He's not going to the Queensland Derby, we'll get him ready for the spring," he said.

- AAP