The Peter Moody stable is understandably not keen on two-year-old Highly Recommended being compared to his stablemate, the world’s highest-rated horse Black Caviar.
Nevertheless the Moody team is predicting a good future for the Fastnet Rock colt after he made a winning debut over 1000m at Flemington on April 16 in the same event which Black Caviar won on debut two years ago, scoring by five lengths.
After striking interference at the start, Highly Recommended recovered to beat the Peter Snowden-trained Whitlam by a half-length.
He is nominated for Saturday’s Listed Blue Sapphire Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield, a race Black Caviar won by six lengths.
Highly Recommended, a $235,000 Australian Easter Yearling Sale purchase in Sydney last year, is a half-brother to 2004 Group One Emirates Stakes winner Sky Cuddle and Group Three SAJC Christmas Handicap winner Sky Love, both prepared by Moody.
Moody said he would wait and see how Highly Recommended performed on Saturday before making a call about whether to press on with him for a Queensland winter campaign or put him out in the paddock with the spring in mind.
The colt is one of six winners among the 17 entries for the Blue Sapphire Stakes, the others being City of Song, Marostica, Spatha, The Counterfeiter and The New Boy.
Meanwhile, Black Caviar returned to Moody’s Caulfield stables on Monday after a short break at Willowood Equicentre at Murchison in northern Victoria since her latest win in the TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 9.
Moody is getting the champion ready for her road trip to Brisbane next month.
Due to Australia’s suspension of air transport of horses not expected to end until late next month, Moody said all being well Black Caviar would go by road to Brisbane to run in the BTC Cup (1200m) at Doomben on May 14 followed by the Doomben 10,000 (1350m) on May 28.
The unbeaten mare made it 12 straight and five Group One wins on the trot when she beat Hay List in the TJ Smith.
AAP TURF
