Peter Moody has added some staying power to his stable having been chosen as the trainer of Melbourne Cup placegetter Spanish Mission.
Cup winning owners Brae Sokolski and Ozzie Kheir have purchased the stayer that will join another of their horses Incentivise in Moody’s care.
Incentivise finished second to Verry Elleegant in last week’s Melbourne Cup at Flemington and now Sokolski and Kheir part-own the Cup trifecta.
Moody said Spanish Mission arrived at his Pakenham stable on Wednesday and had a trot, canter and a swim on Thursday morning.
“He’s a lovely horse with a great temperament,” Moody told RSN.
“I had a good chat to Tony Noonan and his son who were preparing the horse and everything they have said about the horse has been spot on so far.
“He had a few little interruptions leading into the Cup, but he profiles as a nice horse.
“We’re just hoping at this point that he might be able to sharpen up and be competitive in our mile-and-a-quarter, mile-and-a-half races which would give the boys a nice horse.
“Whether he’s an Australian Cup or a Tancred Stakes type horse, I suppose we’ll learn about him in the next few months.”
Moody said he would get his team including farrier, chiropractor and dentist to give Spanish Mission the once over while allowing his staff to get to know the horse.
He said Noonan, who looked after the horse in the absence of UK trainer Andrew Balding, was glowing in his report on how Spanish Mission came through the Cup.
The Group 2 Zipping Classic (2400m) at Caulfield on November 27 could be the stayer’s first outing.
“I’m not 100 per cent sure regulation wise being an import that was in Werribee where we sit, so I’ll take that up with Racing Victoria next week if we think we want to look at that option,” Moody said.
“Alternatively, we may give him a freshen up and look to something in the autumn.”
