A super confident Peter Moody has declared that Dissident will be winning the Group 1 $400,000 C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Trainer Peter Moody is confident that Dissident, above, will win the C.F. Orr Stakes at Caulfield. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
“Will not get beaten,” Moody told TVN.
Dissident disappointed when resuming from an enforced three month break after suffering a bleeding attack in the Caulfield Stakes when third to track specialist Mourinho in the Group 2 $200,000 Jeep Australia Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on January 24.
The premiership winning trainer was in New Zealand at the Karaka yearling sales at the time but was clearly unhappy with the ride of Ben Melham who was unable to get Dissident any cover throughout the race.
Dissident was sent out the $1.85 favourite for the Australia Stakes and even though he was doing his best work at the finish, he couldn’t overhaul Mourinho and the Robbie Griffiths trained It Is Written.
Consequently Moody has put Melham on notice and no doubt he will ride a more positive race on the weekend.
“If he rides it like that again he can find a new job,” Moody said.
“He’s the best horse in the race and he will prove it on Saturday.”
Melham defended his ride in the Australia Stakes explaining that Dissident, who usually races on the pace, found the opposition too slick which saw him settle further back in the field than expected.
“They were just too sharp for him,’’ Melham said.
“He just couldn’t go with them early, they had him chasing all the way.’’
Melham was the regular partner of Dissident during his 2014 Spring Carnival campaign which netted the pair two Group 1 victories and a Group 1 second before the four year old suffered a bleeding attack when sixth to Fawkner in the Group 1 $400,000 Cathay Pacific Caulfield Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on October 11.
The Sebring stallion scored the first of his three career Group 1 wins in the $600,000 Royal Randwick Guineas (1600m) at Randwick during the 2014 Sydney Autumn Carnival and then added the $400,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield and the $400,000 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington in the early part of the Spring Carnival.
At his next race start Dissident sat just behind the leaders when a nose second to Trust In A Gust in the Group 1 $400,000 Bendigo Bank East Malvern Sir Rupert Clarke Charity Cup (1400m) at Caulfield on September 28 before running sixth in the Caulfield Stakes.
