Trainer Peter Moody believes that Moment Of Change is a great chance of recording his first win in over 12 months when he contests the Group 1 2014 Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Moment Of Change finished a narrow second behind Richie's Vibe at the start of his 2014 Melbourne Festival Of Racing campaign. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Moment Of Change raced consistently without winning throughout his spring preparation, finishing third in the Group 1 VRC Sprint Classic (1200m) and a narrow second in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m), and started his autumn campaign with a surprise loss to Richie’s Vibe in the Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m).
The Barely A Moment gelding has been called a ‘non-winner’ by some quarters of the Australian racing public, but Moody told Racing Ahead this morning that he believes the five-year-old has had plenty of excuses in his last ten starts and is ready to win at his home track this weekend.
“He has performed well at weight-for-age throughout his career and he goes to the races with a great chance again tomorrow I believe,” Moody said.
“This is the first time he has been to 1400 since he won that race (the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes) and that was his last win.
“He has run into some handy horses in Buffering and he has earned that non-winner tag, which I think is a bit unfair.
“He has bumped heads with a through handy ones throughout his career, he struggles on wet ground, he struggled the Sydney direction and he struggled at Moonee Valley, but if you take those away from his record than he has a very good record.
“He is playing at home tomorrow over seven furlongs, it is a firm track and it looks a nice race.”
The Orr Stakes field is set to have only six runners, following the retirement of Playing God and the likely scratching of Sertorius, and could turn into a slowly run tactical affair.
Moody said that Moment Of Change will follow his usual racing pattern and make his own luck close to the speed in the Orr Stakes and believes that the tempo of the race could actually help the chances of the Group 1 winner.
“It doesn’t worry me,” Moody said.
“The one thing that you know about him is that he is going to be on the speed.
“I would think the horses that are going to be backmarkers would be more concerned than we are.
“He has sat box seat in Lightnings and Newmarkets and other weight-for-age Group 1s and he isn’t going to be out the back and be brought undone by a muddling speed.
“He will be there making his own luck.”
Moody is chasing his fourth win in the past five editions of the Orr Stakes after taking out the races with champion mares Typhoon Tracy (2010 and 2011) and Black Caviar (2012).
