Peter Moody is happy with the condition of Abidewithme ahead of the 2015 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, but the leading trainer believes that the leaders would need to go at a blistering tempo to give the Kiwi mare any chance in the Group 1 event at Caulfield this afternoon.
Trainer Peter Moody believes that Abidewithme will be better suited in the Toorak Handicap rather than the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes. Photo by: Daniel Costello
Abidewithme was settled towards the tail of the field when she made her Australian racing debut with a win in the Cape Grim Beef Plate (1400m) at Caulfield on August 29 and Moody believes that jockey Patrick Moloney will be forced to use similar tactics when she jumped from barrier 16 in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.
Moody told Racing Ahead that Abidewithme is sure to be flying home late in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes, but he is unsure whether she will be able to win and he feels that the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) in a fortnight might be a better race for the talented mare.
“She will have to go back from the gate and she will be very strong through the line,” Moody said
“We are going to have to go back four or five lengths more than we would have liked from that draw and that is probably the distance between winning and losing a race like this.
“We will get her to a Toorak next run, draw an alley and that is a race she can be competitive in.
“The high pressure up front tomorrow might suit and it will allow these horses to come into it, but they would have to go very hard because she is giving them such a start.”
While Moody was unhappy with Abidewithme’s 2015 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes barrier draw, he is pleased with the physical condition of the daughter of Redoute’s Choice.
Races like the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) and Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) were set to be the initial spring targets for Abidewithme, but Moody now believes that she will be better at a mile and he is happy with the sharpness of the mare ahead of the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes.
“She is going super,” Moody said.
“We altered our line of thought.
“We had her in the Caulfield and Melbourne Cup thinking that she was a dyed in the wool stayer, but after her first-up win and on reflection of her record in New Zealand, we really settled that she might be a seven or eight furlong horse.
“We have thrown blinkers on her because she never really travelled the other day even though she won, but her work and her subsequent work has been very good and it really sharpened her up.”
Abidewithme is currently available at 2015 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes odds of $31 with Ladbrokes, while Disposition ($3.80) remains a clear favourite from Under The Louvre ($5) and Stratum Star ($7.50).
