Everyone enjoys a winter holiday in the sun and racehorses appear to be no different.
A case in point is the Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained I Wish I Win who runs first-up in the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
The contrast between I Wish I Win’s past two winters could not be more telling after the sprinter spent one in the cold in Victoria and another in the warmth of Queensland.
Admittedly I Wish I Win raced further into winter this year than he did last, but Coleman said the difference from one year to the next has been very different.
“When he came back in from his spell last year, he was a hairy little beast that looked like a Shetland pony you had pulled out of the back paddock,” Coleman said.
“This year he came back in and has had a beautiful coat the whole way through.
“I can always tell at the start of his preparations, he’s normally fat and lazy, whereas this time he’s been pretty switched on the whole time.
“That’s when you know he’s ready to go, he switches on in his work from being a lazy slob.”
I Wish I Win already has a slot in The Everest (1200m) at Randwick on October 19 and after Saturday it will be off to the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at The Valley on September 27.
Coleman expects the 1000m on Saturday to be too short, but I Wish I Win can do the amazing, like when running second to Coolangatta first-up in last year’s Group 1 Lightning Stakes at Flemington.
“He’s not screwed down and we’ve still got six weeks until Grand Final Day,” Coleman said.
“But he’s such a talented horse, nothing is off the table with him. We saw what he did up the straight at Flemington when we thought they would be way too sharp as well.
“You don’t want him to have a gut-buster, so we’ll be bearing that in mind. As long as he’s finishing strongly, taking fitness improvement and pulling up well, that’s what we’ll be looking to see.”
Moody and Coleman will also have (potentially) Chain Of Lightning running in the Moir as well.
A start for the Group 1 T J Smith winning mare will be dependent on track conditions and how much rain falls on Friday night.
“We have to be open minded with her. She needs a bit of give in the ground,” Coleman said.
“There are a few showers forecast, so hopefully we’ll get Moods’ doing a rain dance and there will be enough to soften the track.
“We’ll see how the track comes up and if there’s enough give in the ground, she’ll take her place, but if it’s too firm, we’ll keep her at home and save her for something else.”
