PETER MOODY has not won one of Melbourne's big three spring races but staked a claim yesterday for a first Cox Plate when former Kiwi mare King's Rose beat some of Australia's best weight-for-age horses in the Memsie Stakes at Caulfield, reports the Sunday Age. It says: Making her debut for Victoria's dominant trainer, King's Rose was backed from $9 to start at $7.50 and barely gave her backers a moment's worry as she stormed to the lead before holding off a late challenge from favourite Heart O
PETER MOODY has not won one of Melbourne's big three spring races but staked a claim yesterday for a first Cox Plate when former Kiwi mare King's Rose beat some of Australia's best weight-for-age horses in the Memsie Stakes at Caulfield, reports the Sunday Age.
It says: Making her debut for Victoria's dominant trainer, King's Rose was backed from $9 to start at $7.50 and barely gave her backers a moment's worry as she stormed to the lead before holding off a late challenge from favourite Heart Of Dreams to win the group 2 race. Moody was impressed with what he saw. ''I knew she was a high-quality mare from what she showed me in her work at home but the barrier [11] was a little worry today,'' he said.
''But she did it well and I thought probably could have won easier as she looked to peak on her run at about the 100 metres.''
On the line the Redoute's Choice mare had a short neck over Heart Of Dreams ($2.60). Moody said from what he had seen of the tapes of King's Rose's performances in New Zealand, she was more suited at the 2040m of the Cox Plate rather than the 2400m of the Caulfield Cup for which he has favourite Lights Of Heaven.