Talented gelding Rhythm To Spare will have the opportunity to score his maiden win at Group level when he contests the 2014 R.A. Lee Stakes at Morphettville on Saturday.
Rhythm To Spare will face a strong field in the 2014 R.A. Lee Stakes at Morphettville this weekend. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Rhythm To Spare was slightly disappointing at the start of his autumn preparation, finishing sixth in the Listed Super Saturday Stakes (1400m), eighth in the Group 2 Ajax Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens on March 22 and tenth in the Group 3 Doncaster Prelude (1500m), but returned to his best form with a comfortable win in the Peter Armytage Handicap (1610m) at Flemington on April 25.
Moroney told Racing Ahead this morning that he believes there were excuses for the poor performances of Rhythm To Spare during the 2014 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival and said that he is happy with the condition of the Pins gelding ahead of the 2014 R.A. Lee Stakes this weekend.
“He is back to his right form,” Moroney said.
“We were scratching our heads about his Sydney form because he had come from New Zealand with right handed form and he had right handed form in Queensland as well.
“I think that it was just the wet tracks that got him and I thought that the first mistake I made was putting the blinkers back on him and that took care of the first start, but the next start he was really disappointing on a wet track so we pulled up stumps and brought him back.
“On a better track and going left-handed again he seemed to show his true form and he appears to have trained on really well.”
Rhythm To Spare has performed well when given the opportunity at Group level during his racing career to date, but is yet to add a black type victory to his racing resume.
The four-year-old finished second behind Hawkspur in the Group 3 Grand Prix Stakes (2200m) at Doomben on May 25 last year and was a credible fourth in the Group 1 Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm on June 8 before finishing within two lengths of Boban in the Group 1 Emirates Stakes (1600m) at Flemington during the 2013 Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.
Rhythm To Spare will need to be at his best in the 2014 R.A. Lee Stakes; with 2013 Australasian Oaks winner Maybe Discreet, the consistent Streetcar Valour, last start winner Crucial and Shawn Mathrick-trained Gig set to contest the Group 3 event this weekend.
