Moody plans a 'Joyous Moment' after Caulfield strike

MOMENT Of Change, who ran away with his first group 1 victory at Caulfield yesterday, has been set the challenge of upsetting marvellous mare More Joyous in the Toorak Handicap in two weeks, reports The Age. It says: Just 13 months ago the gelding made an extraordinary debut when a 10-length winner at Murtoa, prompting trainer Peter Moody to predict he would one day win a group 1 race. So it was with some pride and a little relief that Moody watched as the four-year-old overcame the outside barr

MOMENT Of Change, who ran away with his first group 1 victory at Caulfield yesterday, has been set the challenge of upsetting marvellous mare More Joyous in the Toorak Handicap in two weeks, reports The Age.

It says: Just 13 months ago the gelding made an extraordinary debut when a 10-length winner at Murtoa, prompting trainer Peter Moody to predict he would one day win a group 1 race. So it was with some pride and a little relief that Moody watched as the four-year-old overcame the outside barrier to beat a hot field of sprinters in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.

''I've always thought he was a group 1 horse and so it's great when they go out and do it,'' he said. ''I've held him in high regard for a long time and I think bringing him back to Melbourne was the way to go with him as he just seems to go better this way of going.''

Moody said the Toorak Handicap over 1600 metres at Caulfield had been the gelding's revised spring goal after he abandoned Epsom Handicap plans after the gelding failed to show his best when racing clockwise.

Moment Of Change was bought by syndicator Rob Slade for $50,000 at the Perth Magic Millions sales and yesterday's win took his earnings after just nine runs to more than $410,000. He jumped from the widest gate and came across to sit second outside his stablemate Mr Make Believe and then showed a terrific burst of speed on the turn to blitz his rivals. Moment Of Change ($4.40 favourite) won by 1¢ lengths from We're Gonna Rock ($7.50) with 1╝ lengths to the impressive Queenslander Solzhenitsyn ($6) in third place.