Queensland trainer Robert Heathcote brought a camera to Moonee Valley on Friday night with the sole purpose of taking a picture of his horse in the winner’s stall.
And when Buffering won the Group Two Moir Stakes (1200m), Heathcote pushed his way to the front of the pack and started snapping.
Buffering winning the Spotless Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley - photo by Race Horse Photos Australia (Steven Dowden)
“He’s wonderful little horse, really wonderful,” Heathcote said.
“Horses like him make us trainers look like we know what we’re doing.”
Buffering ($2 fav) led from soon after the start, threw off his challengers at the top of the straight and repelled the late charge of Ready To Rip ($12) to score by a neck.
Thankgodyou’rehere ($12) was another three-quarters of a length away in third place.
Placed in six Group One races last season including hometown seconds in the Stradbroke Handicap and the Doomben 10,000, Buffering is on a mission to collect a richly-deserved Group One trophy of his own in Melbourne during the spring.
He ran second to Black Caviar in the Patinack Farm last spring and was placed behind her in the Lightning Stakes earlier this year before running into Hay List in the Newmarket.
Heathcote originally intended to begin Buffering’s spring campaign in the Schillaci Stakes at Caulfield in two weeks, but changed his mind after the horse galloped between races at Doomben recently.
“His goal from the beginning of this campaign has been the Schillaci, but after he galloped that day I realised he was more forward than I thought,” Heathcote said.
“So we came here and it’s been fantastic.”
Heathcote bought Buffering for $22,000 and retained a share in him when he found a group of owners for whom he has now won almost $2 million.
“I once owned all of him, but I still couldn’t be happier to see him win,” he said as he pushed his way to the front of the crowd to get his photo.
