Melbourne Cup champion Green Moon heads a high class list of 12 nominations for the $500,000 Group 1 Cathay Pacific Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.Should the Team Williams-trained import line up on Saturday, it would be his first appearance on the track since his famous Melbourne Cup victory at Flemington in November.While the 1400m Futurity may prove too short for Green Moon, it appears an ideal second up target for last start C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) victor All Too Hard who is
Melbourne Cup champion Green Moon heads a high class list of 12 nominations for the $500,000 Group 1 Cathay Pacific Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Should the Team Williams-trained import line up on Saturday, it would be his first appearance on the track since his famous Melbourne Cup victory at Flemington in November.
While the 1400m Futurity may prove too short for Green Moon, it appears an ideal second up target for last start C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) victor All Too Hard who is also among the nominations following Team Hawkes' announcement yesterday the colt would take his place in the race before backing up a week later in the Australian Guineas (1600m).
Should the half-brother to superstar mare Black Caviar wish to add a third Group 1 to his already impressive resume, he could have to defeat the likes of New Zealand champion King Mufhasa, Peter Moody's Caulfield Cup placegetter Lights of Heaven and the Mike Moroney-trained Mackinnon Stakes winner Glass Harmonium.
While the final field and barrier draw for the $1 million Group 1 Patinack Farm Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) will be announced tomorrow, there is an exciting list of 22 entries in Saturday's third Group 1 feature the $400,000 Group 1 Sportingbet Oakleigh Plate (1100m).
Globetrotting triple Group 1 winning mare Ortensia headlines the nominations, which also feature unbeaten Western Australian sprinter Barakey, defending Oakleigh Plate champion Woorim as well as the Robert Smerdon-trained pair of Goodwood Handicap winner Lone Rock and promising filly Shamal Wind.
Orr Stakes placegetters Mawingo and Mr Moet head a list of 12 entries in the $220,000 Group 2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m), the second leg of the G1 Middle Distance Championship.
With the current series leader All Too Hard not competing in the second and third legs, the likes of Mawingo, Mr Moet and Wall Street will no doubt be looking to build on their points tally to fend off fellow Peter Young nominations Budriguez, Prairie Star and Foreteller in the quest for the $50,000 International Travel Subsidy.
The $220,000 Group 2 Autumn Classic for the three-year-olds is headed by the Victoria Derby quinella of Fiveandahalfstar and Super Cool with Derby fourth placegetter Hvasstan and the promising Mick Kent-trained stayer High Shot further notable nominations.
Other highlights on the impressive nine race program include the $220,000 Group 2 Angus Armanasco Stakes (1400m) for the three-year-old fillies as well as the $150,000 Group 2 TBV Mannerism Stakes (1400m) for the mares.
www.racingvictoria.net.au