Perth star Mr Moet will be looking to make amends on last year’s second when he lines up in the Group 1 $500,000 TAB Touch – Kingston Town Classic (1800m) at Ascot on Saturday.
Mr Moet looking to make amends after finishing 2nd in last year's Kingston Town Classic. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
Mr Moet was beaten by local hero Luckygray in last year’s Kingston Town Classic after beating the crowd favourite at their previous meeting in in the Group 1 $1m Carlton Draught-Railway Stakes (1600m) at Ascot.
Mr Moet and Luckygray will do battle again after both were acceptors in the final field of eleven for the Kingston Town Classic and will be up against another top class weight for age field.
Trainer Adam Durrant is pleased to have Mr Moet back on his own turf after a unsuccessful Melbourne Spring Carnival campaign which saw the six year old unplaced from five Melbourne starts.
“He has come home really well and he is back into his old routine,” Durant said on RSN.
“He seems to have come on really well and he looks to my eye to be in better nick.
“I couldn’t get him to peak over in Melbourne and in his condition he just looked a bit showy to me and he looked too pretty.”
Even though Mr Moet didn’t collect a major prize in the east, his last two runs over the Carnival were fair with a sixth to Fawkner in the Group 1 $2.5m BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m) at Caulfield on October 19 followed by a fourth to Side Glance in the Group 1 $1m Longines Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on November 2.
Mr Moet didn’t have the best of luck from the outside gate of the fifteen horse field of the Railway Stakes on November 23 when seventh to Luckygray at his first run back from Melbourne and had a tough run three wide for most of the way.
Apart from Luckygray, Mr Moet will be taking on two time Kingston Town Classic winner (2010, 2011) Playing God and Fred Kersley’s rising star Ihtsahymn.
Playing God finished in front of Mr Moet in the Railway Stakes, finishing fifth, while Ihtsahymn is looking to make history by winning the W.A. Guineas – Kingston Town Classic double in the same year.
Steven Parnham, who is the regular rider for Playing God, has elected to stick with Ihtsahymn after winning the Group 2 $400,000 Sky Racing-W.A. Guineas (1600m) at Ascot on November 23 on the three year old.
Peter Harvey is the new rider for Playing God while Peter Hall will stick with Mr Moet after riding him in the Railway Stakes.
Last start Railway Stakes winner Luckygray heads the market order for the Kingston Town Classic at $2.60 with Mr Moet at $4.40 while Ihtsahymn is marked on the third line of betting at $5.50 with Playing God an $8.50 chance.
