Famous Seamus doesn’t have the profile of some of his Manikato Stakes rivals but jockey Tim Clark is confident the sprinter has the motor to challenge them.
A Group One winner of the BTC Cup in Brisbane during winter, the Noel Mayfield-Smith-trained Famous Seamus takes on a quality field in Friday night’s 1200-metre race at Moonee Valley.
Famous Seamus had his first look around Moonee Valley on Tuesday morning in an exercise Clark said was beneficial.
“He’s best suited when he gets the race run at a good tempo and finishes off,” Clark said.
“He can run great late splits and it sets up like there’s going to be plenty of pressure on in the race.
“If he’s back doing no work you’ll see him being really strong to the line.”
Famous Seamus won the Premiere Stakes in Sydney last start after a first-up third to Terravista in The Shorts.
Famous Seamus is rated a $17 chance in a field which contains eight Group One winners among the 12 runners.
“He finished a couple of lengths off Terravista first-up and I feel his run was probably every bit as good as Terravista’s,” Clark said.
“I feel he (Terravista) is nearly the horse to beat so I’m coming to the races pretty confident that he’ll be right in the finish.”
Peter Moody, meanwhile, says Moment Of Change has returned from an injury setback in terrific order and is going well enough to run a big race if things fall into place for him from a wide barrier at a track where he is yet to win in four starts.
Moment Of Change suffered a muscle tear in his hindquarter when last in the Memsie Stakes on August 30.
“He’s come back a better horse for it,” Moody said.
“I just wonder whether it might have been an underlying issue for a little while, the way he’s come back this time around.
“He’s drawn wide and I’ve got great respect for the opposition but the horse is going terrific.”
