Godolphin and James Cummings are aiming for a third consecutive win in the Australian Cup, with Zardozi stepping up for the Group 1 race on Saturday.

Cascadian claimed the 2000m weight-for-age contest in 2023 and 2024, both times with Ben Melham in the saddle. This year, Jamie Melham partners with Zardozi, aiming for her second Australian Cup win after guiding Harlem to victory in 2019.

Unlike Cascadian, the Godolphin team’s Zardozi is still finding her feet despite her Group 1 victory. Cummings is confident the rise to 2000m and a return to Flemington will benefit Zardozi after her second-place finish in the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes at Caulfield on March 15.

“Zardozi has been in tough races, so we are quite bullish that we’ve got her going very well,” Cummings said.

Zardozi, spelled after finishing fourth in the Melbourne Cup, will be having her fourth run back in the Australian Cup. She has had a solid campaign leading up to the race.

Cummings plans to reassess Zardozi after the weekend before deciding on her next steps, with entries in the Doncaster Mile and Sydney Cup among her upcoming options.