Precedence is set to contest the 2015 Moonee Valley Cup and the veteran stayer has the opportunity to record an historic third win in the Group 2 event this weekend.
Precedence has the opportunity to become the first horse in history to win the Moonee Valley Cup on three occasions. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Precedence contested the Moonee Valley Cup for the first time in 2010 and he recorded an impressive win in the race before he went on to finish a credible eighth in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m).
The son of Zabeel missed the 2011 edition of the race in favour of the Caulfield Cup, but he returned in 2012 to finish fourth before he was able to beat the likes of Shoreham, Gotta Take Care and Mourinho to win the race again in 2014.
Precedence could finish no better than fifth in the Moonee Valley Cup last year and he has not recorded a race win since he took out the 2013 edition of the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2500m), but he has shown some promise during his 2015 Spring Racing Carnival to date.
The ten-year-old returned to racing with a credible tenth in the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick on September 5 and he was never able to get into the race in the Group 2 Hill Stakes (2000m) at Royal Randwick on September 19, but he hit the line strongly to finish sixth in the Group 3 The Bart Cummings (2520m) at Flemington on October 4 and impressed trainer James Cummings with this track work this morning.
Cummings admits that Precedence will need to improve to be any chance of becoming the first horse in history to win the Moonee Valley Cup on three occasions, but he believes that he is just starting to reach his peak as he builds towards a potential run in the Melbourne Cup.
“He is terrific,” Cummings told Racing Ahead.
“I was very pleased with him this morning; he had a good hit-out and a good blow afterwards, so he is all set to go for the weekend.
“He loves the Valley and he loves the natural give in the surface as well as the velodrome feel of it.
“I could have him in better form – the fact is that he is still warming up for it – but the horse is just coming into it at the right time – I hope.
“I have to be realistic because he has been beaten a number of lengths at his last start, but it was good to see Our Ivanhowe looming large in the Caulfield Cup to show that wasn’t such a bad race.”
The 2015 Moonee Valley Gold Cup nominations were released yesterday and 33 horses remain a chance of contesting the $250,000 race.
You can claim the best Moonee Cup odds with leading online bookmaker Ladbrokes, who are offering Best Odds +20% on every single race at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
