Peter Moody trained ‘King’s Rose’ has taken out today’s Memsie Stakes at Caulfield racecourse in her Australian debut ahead of race favourite Heart Of Dreams and Red Collosus in third.
Leading trainer Peter Moody sent out an ominous warning that he is set to dominate this spring when stable newcomer King’s Rose completed a treble of black-type wins for the stable in the Memsie Stakes.
Moody and his number one stable jockey Luke Nolen had already won the HDF McNeil Stakes with Golden Archer and the Listed National Jockeys Celebration Day Stakes with Testascana before the pair landed the Group Two Memsie (1400m).
A four-year-old daughter of champion stallion Redoute’s Choice, King’s Rose had done all of her previous racing in New Zealand and had won six of her 12 starts including five straight last preparation.
She won the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) for three-year-old fillies at Riccarton last November.
Her last run there was when seventh to Midnight Oil in the NZ Oaks (2400m) at Trentham in March.
Moody believes King’s Rose is more of a 1600m to 2000m horse and is considering a Cox Plate campaign for her.
“We’ll keep an open mind about that for a while but her next start will be in either the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes or the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, we’ll just sit on the fence for the moment,” he said.
“Today was a learning curve to see where we are at.
“I thought she’d run very well if she ran up to her work. The barrier (11 of 13) concerned me.”
Nolen was able to get King’s Rose ($7.50) into a beautiful trailing position following Heart Of Dreams ($2.60 fav) and when he hit the front she was there to pounce and scored by a short head from him with Red Colossus ($13) three-quarters of a length away third.
“She’s a high-quality mare. I’m very impressed with her,” Moody said.
“She had good improvement too. I think she just peaked on her run the last 100 metres, she was going to win a bit softer than she ended up winning by.”
Trainer Mick Price was quite satisfied with runner-up Heart Of Dreams.
“He ran as good as he could and he was pegging the winner back a bit,” he said.
“I’d be leaning to an Underwood Stakes start for him here at the 1800 metres rather than the Dato Tan Chin Nam. I think they’d be a bit nippy for him over the 1600 metres around the Valley.
“He’s in for a good preparation.”
Trainer Greg Eurell was very happy with Red Colossus who charged home late for third.
“If he’d been able to get out earlier he would have made it interesting,” he said.
“He’s come back in great shape and his next run will be in the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes.
AAP TURF
