The 2013 Melbourne Cup lead-up form of My Quest For Peace has been very poor and trainer Peter Moody admits that tomorrow’s run in the Group 3 Lexus Stakes (2500m) is the last ‘throw at the stumps’ for the imported stayer this preparation.
My Quest For Peace needs to win the Lexus Stakes to qualify for the 2013 Melbourne Cup. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
My Quest For Peace started his campaign with a 12th place finish in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) and finished 10th in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) before finished a disappointing sixteenth in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m).
The Galileo entire pulled up poorly after the Caulfield Cup, after failing to handle the firmness of the track, and Moody sent the six-year-old to the beach to give him a chance to recover.
The leading trainer is hopeful that My Quest For Peace will be better suited to the Flemington track and is desperately hoping that the OTI Racing-owned stayer can find some of the form that has deserted him since finishing tenth in last year’s Melbourne Cup.
“He struggled the whole way and he didn’t have the best of runs, Corey thought,” Moody told Racing Ahead.
“He felt the firm ground and has generally struggled at his last couple.
“I’ve him down at Warrnambool on the beach for the last ten or 12 days and just trying to take the sting out of his joints.
“He jarred up quiet significantly post the Caulfield Cup and this is the last throw at the stumps to try and resurrect his form.
“We are hopeful that Flemington presents with a little bit of give in the ground.
“He has been running late in the day on these warm, windy days at Caulfield and hopefully earlier in the day Flemington will have a bit more give and we can get him back into some form.
“I want to see him do it before I put my head on the block.”
My Quest For Peace has drawn barrier 15 for the Lexus Stakes and Moody admits that the outside draw is not ideal but said that will be the problem of leading jockey Luke Nolen.
“It is another issue,” Moody said.
“That is Luke’s problem and that is why the jockey’s drive Mercedes’ and BMW’s and trainers are in Datsun’s.”
My Quest For Peace is currently sitting 27th in the 2013 Melbourne Cup order of entry and like the majority of the horses in the 2013 Lexus Stakes field needs to win the race to earn a start in ‘the race that stops nation.’
Moody could end up missing out on having a runner in the 2013 Melbourne Cup; with Ibicenco and My Quest For Peace both just outside the top 24 in the order of entry.
