Trainer Peter Moody is preparing to saddle-up two livewire chances in Saturday’s star-studded Memsie Stakes 2014 field but it is three time Group 1 winner over the track and distance Moment Of Change who his money will be on.
Moment Of Change shoots for his fourth Group 1 win over 1400m at Caulfield this weekend in the Memsie Stakes. Photo: Race Horse Photos Australia.
There are currently 16 entries for this year’s $400,000 Group 1 New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes (1400m), the season’s opening elite level lighting up Caulfield Racecourse and featuring as the headline race at Ladbrokes.com.au to enjoy a punt on this weekend.
Of those nominations Moody has two entries after last weekend’s wet weather in Sydney forced a campaign adjustment for Dissident.
The Sebring four-year-old was set to resume racing at Randwick in the Group 2 Warwick Stakes (1400m) but was scratched from the weight-for-age showdown due to a Heavy track.
Winner of the Group 1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) back in March, Dissident then will make his new season debut going straight back into Group 1 company in the Memsie ahead of a possible Cox Plate campaign in October.
ing him in the field will be stablemate Moment Of Change who Moody has had set for the Memsie Stakes all along.
The triple Group 1 champion has won three elite levels over the 1400m at Caulfield having taken out the CF Orr Stakes and Futurity Stakes back-to-back during February having also won the 2012 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes over the track and distance.
Now six, Moment Of Change returned on August 16 at the track and was second only to Hard Stride in the Listed Regal Roller Stakes (1200m).
While he got rolled as the beaten favourite, Moment Of Change had the hefty 62kg top weight to overcome while the winner carried just 54 and didn’t have fitness on his side.
With a run now under the belt, getting back up to 1400m and dropping to 59kg at weight-for-age there is plenty working in Moment Of Change’s favour for a Memsie Stakes victory.
He worked at the course proper at Caulfield on Tuesday morning and impressed Moody with the gallop that has the horse prime for the weekend.
“Moment Of Change worked super here at Caulfield this morning and he’s trained-on nicely since his first up run,” Moody told Racing Victoria on Tuesday.
“He has a massive weight drop and he always runs well at this track and distance.
“He is certainly the pick of my two and I’d be disappointed if he’s not in the mix.”
Moody also galloped Dissident this morning, the youngster taking a while to get into his right leg when back to the Melbourne way of racing.
“He actually got a bit lost working at Caulfield this morning,” he said.
“Dissident hasn’t been in the Melbourne direction for a while and he hasn’t really been in Melbourne much since he was a two-year-old so he might take benefit out of the experience.
“I’m looking forward to getting him onto the bigger tracks like in the Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington, that type of race.”
The $400,000 Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) runs over the Flemington mile on September 13, the same day the Golden Rose Stakes for three-year-olds takes place in Sydney.
“He’s got to prove to me that he can run a mile-and-a-quarter (2000m) so we’ll head down that path but we’re not afraid to deviate if we don’t feel it’s the right course,” Moody added speaking of Dissident’s nomination for the $3 million Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m).
Also with multiple Memsie Stakes hopes are Sydney’s Chris Waller with Group 1 winners Foreteller and Boban, and Team Hawkes saddling up Cox Plate hope Messene and stablemate Toydini.
The Memsie Stakes 2014 field is set for release on Wednesday morning followed by the release of the betting markets online at Ladbrokes.com.au where you’ll get Best Tote or SP on all the weekend’s races!
