A bold performance by Stingray at Moonee Valley on Saturday will tempt trainer John Moloney to pencil in a trip to Adelaide during the Autumn Carnival.
Patrick Moloney will be back aboard Stingray at Moonee Valley on the weekend. Photo by Adrienne Bicknell.
Stingray will be resuming in the $80,000 Super Vobis Three-Year-Old BenchMark 70 Handicap over 1000m at his first run since running down the track in the Group 1 $1m BECK Caulfield Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield during last year’s Melbourne Spring Carnival.
Moloney gave the Kaphero colt his chance at the top company but he wilted over the concluding stages to be beaten sixteen and a half lengths when twelfth to Shooting To Win.
The Caulfield trainer will wait and see how Stingray comes through his first up run but has tentatively picked out the Group 2 $250,000 Sportingbet Stakes (1200m) for the three year old’s at Morphettville on May 9 as a likely Autumn target.
“I don’t specifically have anything targeted at the moment; we’ll just let him get through his first run and then I might aim up a bit from there,” Moloney told racing.com.
“Maybe a race like the Great Western Angus Brut, I think that’s what it’s called, a three-year-old 1200m in Adelaide a bit later in the season,”
Moloney admits that the 1600m of the Caulfield Guineas might have been beyond him and will be sticking to shorter races this campaign.
“I think this preparation we’ll aim shorter than a mile, 1400m might be as far as we go with him, I think 1000 or 1200 might be better trips for him,” Moloney said.
Stingray has had the benefit of a Caulfield jump out in preparation for his return to the race track and Moloney expects the three year old to be very competitive.
“He pulled up well, he went nice enough, he’s not at his peak naturally, but he’s coming to hand which is good,” Moloney said.
Apprentice jockey Patrick Moloney finds himself back aboard his uncle’s horse on Saturday and is hoping his good form continues after riding a winning double at Sandown last Wednesday on Relentless for Geelong trainer Anthony Alder and Demandz for Colin and Cindy Alderson.
Moloney has ridden Stingray on six occasions for two wins but hasn’t been aboard the three year old since the pair finished fifth to Chivalry in the Group 3 $150,000 H.D.F. McNeil Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on August 30.
