No Wine No Song on song for BMW

By the in-form

A win for No Wine No Song in Saturday's $2.25 million The BMW at Rosehill would be a fitting reward for a galloper who has come back to top-level racing after suffering two tendon injuries in as many years.Trainer Kevin Moses has been patient with the 2008 Sydney Cup winner and appears to have the honest stayer on target for the country's only 2400m Group One weight-for-age event."He's done two tendons before but I'm happy with him now, he's going well and I hope the rain keeps up because he lik

Trainer Kevin Moses has been patient with the 2008 Sydney Cup winner and appears to have the honest stayer on target for the country's only 2400m Group One weight-for-age event.

"He's done two tendons before but I'm happy with him now, he's going well and I hope the rain keeps up because he likes the wet a lot better than hard, dry tracks," Moses said.

"I'm one of the trainers not complaining about the wet."

The eight-year-old is being aimed at the Group One Sydney Cup (3200m) at Randwick later this month at what will be his fourth attempt at the race.

He finished sixth in 2006, third in 2007 and won the race in 2008.

The gelding missed the Cup last year through injury.

No Wine No Song returned from injury this autumn and had his first start in 12 months, and only his second run in 21 months, when he finished last in the Group Two Apollo Stakes (1400m) won by Danleigh.

The stayer came through the run unscathed and since then his fitness has gradually improved, and so too have his results.

He was beaten less than five lengths over an unsuitable 1600m in the Chipping Norton Stakes second-up then showed he was on target for the staying features with a 2-3/4-length fifth to Theseo in the Group One Ranvet Stakes (2000m) last start.

"I thought his last run was very good," Moses said.

"He has had only had a couple of runs and I can't be too hard on him.

"I probably would have liked him to have had one more run but I'm always worried about his tendons and pushing him too hard."

Importantly, as an eight-year-old, Moses said No Wine No Song still wanted to race and compete.

No Wine No Song faces a tough ask on Saturday against a bunch of seasoned campaigners headed by the in-form Theseo, but Moses also knows that getting up to 2400m and beyond will bring out the best in his charge.

"There are some nice, tough horses in there on Saturday but he (No Wine No Song) can stay," he said.

Theseo was the $3.20 favourite for The BMW with TAB Sportsbet on Thursday with Speed Gifted ($4.80) and Daffodil ($7.50) the only other runners under double-figure odds.

No Wine No Song was at $23.