No Wine No Song's chances of defending his Sydney Cup crown have improved dramatically following his recovery from a life-threatening illness.The outstanding stayer was being aimed towards the Melbourne Cup but in August he was found to be gravely ill.He underwent emergency surgery at the Randwick Equine Centre to repair a displaced bowel.No Wine No Song has now completed his first week of trackwork since the operation and has pleased trainer Kevin Moses who is encouraged by what he has seen."We
No Wine No Song's chances of defending his Sydney Cup crown have improved dramatically following his recovery from a life-threatening illness.
The outstanding stayer was being aimed towards the Melbourne Cup but in August he was found to be gravely ill.
He underwent emergency surgery at the Randwick Equine Centre to repair a displaced bowel.
No Wine No Song has now completed his first week of trackwork since the operation and has pleased trainer Kevin Moses who is encouraged by what he has seen.
"We sent him around with the pony a couple of weeks ago but this was his first week of work and he's come through it very well," Moses said.
"We had to give him that time out to let him recover but we've got to step up his work now of he's going to be firing for the Sydney Cup.
"We'll have to look at trialling him by the end of January otherwise it would be too late for the Sydney Cup but so far everything is going as well as it can be."
Moses, who won three Sydney premierships as a jockey, celebrated his first Group One victory as a trainer when No Wine No Song won the Sydney Cup (3200m) in May.
The major race win capped off a brilliant campaign for No Wine No Song who claimed the Group Two Chairman's Handicap (2600m) a week earlier and two runs prior to that won the Group Three Randwick City Stakes (2000m).
No Wine No Song returned to Moses' stable last month and has been given an easy time until this week.
The 2009 Sydney Cup will be run on Anzac Day.