Ten years after the success of Brew in the Melbourne Cup, trainer Michael Moroney is hopeful of picking up a second Melbourne Cup – and perhaps his first Caulfield Cup along the way.
Moroney has VRC Derby winner Monaco Consul and dual Sydney Cup runner up Divine Rebel heading towards the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.
Racing manager for Ballymore Stables, Anthony Feroce, told Just Horse Racing that plans had not been made for lead up races to the Cups.
However, Monaco Consul will be resuming in Melbourne – most likely in the Liston Stakes (1400m) on August 14.
Monaco Consul impressed racegoers with a dominant victory in the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick last October, before recording a dour win in the Victoria Derby (2500m).
In the autumn, the High Chaparral colt seemed to lose form but a return to Australia saw him record two Group 1 thirds, in the AJC Derby (2400m) and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).
His dour runs in the VRC and AJC Derbies suggests that the 3200m of the Melbourne Cup should prove no issue to the galloper.
Divine Rebel showed her liking for 3200m with her second consecutive placing in the Sydney Cup in April. She was second to the John O’Shea trained Jessicabeel.
In 2009, she was second to Melbourne galloper Ista Kareem.
Moroney’s smart mare Marheta, second in this year’s Queensland Oaks, will be kept to mares races and will target the Group 1 Myer Classic (1600m) on Derby Day.
Written by Andrew Hawkins
