Leading trainer Peter Moody has admitted that he would be disappointed if Moment Of Change does not go close to winning the Group 2 McEwen Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
Moment Of Change will begin his 2013 Spring Racing Carnival campaign in the McEwen Stakes at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
Moment Of Change will be returning to the races for the first time since he finished in the Group 1 The Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville in May and according to Moody is ready to perform first-up.
The Barely A Moment gelding has a fantastic first-up record and Moody told Racing Ahead that the five-year-old is even more forward in his preparation than he was when he finished second behind equine superstar Black Caviar first-up in the Group 1 Lightning Stakes (1000m) in the autumn.
“He is in good shape, he has trialed well and I am happy with his condition,” Moody said on RSN.
“He has done a heap of work and he has a good long foundation put into him.
“He is probably more prepared to be honest (than the Lightning Stakes).
“When the noms came up light for that Lightning we didn’t plan to kick him off there but we threw him in probably slightly under where he is at this point.”
With Black Caviar retired and Manighar seemingly past his best Moody is looking for a new horse to become his stable star and he clearly believes that Moment Of Change has the ability to be Australian Champion Sprinter.
Moody has set the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1200m) and Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m), that will both be run at Moonee Valley, as the main 2013 Spring Racing Carnival targets for Moment Of Change and he admitted that he considered tackling both those races fresh.
“It was just a matter of whether I wanted to go to the Moir first-up,” Moody said.
“He has had no exposure to the Valley and I tossed and turned because his first couples of runs are usually very good.
“I thought he could go there (the McEwen Stakes) and just train himself between here and the Moir and he will have had that exposure to the Valley.”
Moody won the majority of the major sprint races in Australia with Black Caviar but he is chasing his first ever victory in the McEwen Stakes.
