Adam Durrant has revealed that star Western Australian galloper Mr Moet will head to Sydney and join the stable of Chris Waller after running in the Group 2 Cox Stakes (2100m).
Mr Moet will run in the Kingston Town Stakes and Cox Stakes before joining the stable of Chris Waller to begin his autumn campaign. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Mr Moet will take his place in the Group 1 Kingston Town Stakes (1800m) at Ascot on Saturday and defend his title in the Cox Stakes but is highly unlikely to contest the Group 2 Perth Cup (2400m); with connections keen to get the Mosayter gelding to New South Wales to begin preparations for the 2014 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.
Durrant has taken Mr Moet to Victoria for the 2013 Melbourne Festival Of Racing and 2013 Spring Racing Carnival but told Racing Ahead that he can’t afford to be away from his team in Perth for the period required to give the six-year-old a proper campaign in Sydney.
“He will head to Sydney after the Cox Stakes and leave my camp for a preparation over there in the autumn,” Durrant said.
“Chris Waller at this stage is going to take him on.
“It is just too hard with my team at home to get away and there is really good prizemoney in Sydney this year.
“Obviously I want to get him use to the different direction, being a six year old running in the same direction all his life, and I think that it is important he gets some experience running the other way.
“I wouldn’t be able to do that before he races so I think that the best thing to do for the connections and the horse is to give him a proper prep and why wouldn’t you give him to the best.
“He will probably improve a couple of lengths and hopefully they can kick a goal with him.”
Durrant will have the opportunity to win another Group 1 with Mr Moet when he contests the Kingston Town Stakes at Ascot this weekend and, along with Luckygray, rates his star galloper the horse to beat.
Mr Moet finished three lengths behind Luckygray, in seventh position, in the Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) but had not luck in the run, after starting the race from the outside barrier, and Durrant is confident that the six-year-old would have had Luckygray’s number if he had received the same run as the Railway Stakes winner.
“When you draw sixteen of sixteen, you basically go into it with an idea that you are going to need a lot of luck,” Durrant said.
“Luckygray got the luck and he went through the guts on them, saving five lengths on the corner, and we went around them and it cost us five lengths.
“No doubt if you change their runs the same result goes to Mr Moet and if Mr Moet’s gets that run they probably run one, two.”
The 2013 Kingston Town Stakes field will have just eleven runners and Durrant is expecting the race to be a very tactical affair but will be leaving the riding instructions up to jockey Peter Hall who is chasing his first ever win at Group 1 level.
“It is a tricky little race on Saturday; there is a smallish field and there doesn’t look like a lot of exposed speed in the race so it is going to be really tactical I think,” Durrant said.
“If he is not going to be close to the speed than he needs to be in a position from the 600 to be blending right into the race but that will be up to his rider to sum it up and make that decision early in the race.
“We will be playing it as it comes and hopefully the horse gets a trouble free run from the 600 and if he does he is going to be right in the finish.”
Mr Moet is currently on the second line of 2013 Kingston Town Classic betting markets; with Luckygray ($2.50) the favourite to win the race for the second year in a row.
