Peter Moody says King’s Rose is a high-quality mare and believes her lead-up form will hold up in Saturday’s $3 million Cox Plate at Moonee Valley.
The Redoute’s Choice four-year-old, who was prepared in New Zealand by Jason Bridgman before being transferred to Moody’s Caulfield stables, won the Group Two Memsie Stakes (1400m) on her home track first-up for Moody.
That was followed by her Group Two Stocks Stakes (1600m) win at Moonee Valley from subsequent Epsom Hcp runner-up Pinker Pinker with subsequent Caulfield Cup victor Southern Speed finishing fourth.
“That’s probably been the form race of the spring to a degree so far, beating Pinker Pinker and the Caulfield Cup winner,” Melbourne’s premier trainer for the past two seasons said.
Moody has been mindful to space the runs of King’s Rose, who has won eight of her 15 starts, as she is a lean type.
“She’s done everything asked of her,” he said.
“The only slight hiccup was that she tied up slightly and missed the Epsom and we ended up waiting a week for the Toorak and her condition gave out that day.”
King’s Rose was runner-up by a long neck to multiple Group One winner King Mufhasa in the Group One Toorak Hcp (1600m) at Caulfield on October 8.
Fields Of Omagh was runner-up to Roman Arch in the 2003 Toorak before going on to win the first of his two Cox Plates at his next start.
“She’s come on nicely. She just wanted the run in the Toorak being four weeks between runs,” Moody said.
“She’s a Group winner in New Zealand in good company at 2000 metres so there are no fears about that (the 2040m of the Cox Plate).
King’s Rose has won twice at 2000m at Group Two level, in the Royal Stakes at Ellerslie and the Sir Tristram Fillies Classic at Te Rapa.
Stable jockey Luke Nolen, who won the 2007 Cox Plate aboard El Segundo, stays with the mare who drew barrier two and is at $13 with TAB Sportsbet which has three-year-old colt Helmet $3.30 favourite.
Moody’s only Cox Plate runner to date was the mare Sky Cuddle who ran fourth to Makybe Diva in 2005, the year after she won the Group One Emirates Stakes (1600m) at Flemington.
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