Last season’s leading apprentice Patrick Moloney has been rewarded with the ride on Furnaces in Group 2 $200,000 Mitty’s McEwen Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
Apprentice Patrick Moloney will be riding the John O’Shea trained Furnaces in the McEwen Stakes at Moonee Valley. Photo by Adrienne Bicknell.
The hard working Melbourne apprentice is always available to ride gallops and jump outs for the Godolphin team and trainer John O’Shea has stuck with him for Furnaces who will be having is first run back as a three year old in the weight for age sprint.
“It’s a big opportunity for an apprentice, especially at this time of year with the spring carnival on our doorstep,” Moloney told AAP.
“I ride in jump-outs for (Godolphin) on a Friday or whenever they ask me for a gallop like they did with Furnaces at Moonee Valley.”
O’Shea took Furnaces to Moonee Valley on Tuesday morning so the colt could get a feel of the track before he steps out there for the first time under race conditions on Saturday and Moloney said he handled the course in fine fashion.
“He handled Moonee Valley well but we weren’t going quick and I can’t see why he won’t adapt to this way of going in a race,” Moloney said.
O’Shea was also happy with the workout and is giving the Exceed And Excel colt a good chance in the McEwen Stakes against the older horses.
“He was good and relaxed and worked up the straight well,” O’Shea said.
“He came off the bend well and pulled up really well most importantly and goes into the race on Saturday with a nice chance.”
Furnaces raced amongst the top two year old class during the 2015 Sydney Autumn Carnival, finishing second to Vancouver in the Group 2 $300,000 UNSW Todman Stakes (1200m) at Randwick before running sixth to Gai Waterhouse’s super colt again in the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill.
O’Shea gave Furnaces one more run in the Autumn before heading to the paddock for a win in the Group 3 $200,000 Widden Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) at Randwick on April 6.
Furnaces has been well supported in the Ladbrokes.com.au market order for the McEwen Stakes and has firmed from $9.50 to share the second line of betting at $7 with the Peter Moody trained Flamberge and Lee and Anthony Freedman’s new stable acquisition Kuro behind the $2.20 favourite Chautauqua.
McEwen Stakes market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $2.20 Chautauqua, $7 Flamberge, Kuro, Furnaces, $8 Sistonic, $20 The Quarterback, $21 It Is Written, Headwater, $41 I’m All The Talk, Tycoon Tara, $51 Parcel, $71 Sweet Emily, $81 Miss Steele, Written Dash, Klishina.
