Barriers and race experience are all important for juveniles and both were in evidence at Rosehill on Saturday when the Antony Cummings trained Sidereus won the $140,000, Group II, Darley Pago Pago Stakes (1200m).

The race was lead by Brawled and Blake Shinn after breaking well from the outside barrier 13 with Larry Cassidy and Sidereus settled in third tracking through to the main straight.

Brawled was still leading at the 300m with Shinn working hard but the effort at the start was starting to show. Sidereus came up under Cassidy and took the lead at the 250m and he took and important break on the field racing straight and true.

Further out in the middle of the field was Over The Wicket and Peter Robl would had to overcome barrier 11. They were standing Sidereus 4L at the 200m, but Robl asked the question of the Over gelding and near black stretched out well.

However Sidereus had the shortest way to the line, and they napped the win by a long head with the valuable juvenile Group II win on his pedigree page.

Dubai To Sydney (Dubai Destination) was third, the margin 1 1/2L. The time was 1.11.88 and the final 600m was covered in a slow 36.15 on the dead (4) track. The track had been upgraded from a 5 reading, but the times did not seem to justify it.

“Barriers win races so he has penalties for bad barriers through his career and today he got the right barrier and a great ride from Larry in the right field and he got the money and I am very pleased about that,” said Cummings.

“This is a bit of an odd year (for the Golden Slipper) and I do not think there are standouts. Dad’s horse who should have won last week is probably the most promising type, but certainly this fellow has a good future and I think he is a worthy stakes horse and with his pedigree and the turn of foot that he shows he has a bright future.

“He is a very robust sort of fellow and a good natured colt at that so he has given us the room to move.

“It will be a breeze to back up next week with what he has been through,” he said.

“He has had harder races than that so he deserved the win,” said Cassidy.

“I have always considered him as a genuine Slipper chance before EI,” he added.

Sidereus now gets his chance to run in the $3.5M, Group I, AAMI Golden Slipper (1200m) next Saturday, as does Over The Wicket. The colt is by General Nediym out of the Best Western mare Hootenanny and Cummings purchased him out of the draft of Gerry Harvey’s Baramul Stud at the 2007 Magic Millions Yearling Sale on the Gold Coast for $210,000.

Hootenanny is from a Sir Tristram three quarter sister to Kaapstad, and the dams of stakes including Bonanova, Fraternity, Telestoand Court of Jewels.

Other stakes winning stars of the family include Group I winning siblings Octagonal, Marquise, Diamond Lover and Mouawad.

He is raced by Cummings with M Santangelo, Arts Racing Syndicate managed by A Riccio, P James, F Stufano, DM Phillips, and GFJ Phillips. This was the colt’s maiden win after four previous starts which included a stakes place at Flemington on March 15th and then a fourth in the Group III Skyline Stakes over 1200m at Randwick on March 29th.