This lovely filly out for redemption and boy did she get it.
She was supposed to have won it last year but Everest horse In Her Time swooped in and ran away with the prize. Since then her connections have sought redemption. Hopefully she now gets the nod into The Everest, giving her another 1200m mark to go after.
Trainer Lloyd Kennewell: “I’m just flabbergasted how easy it was, that’s my biggest moment in racing right there. She’s been flying on the track, there’s no secret to that and everything she’s done has just been perfect. It’s been a great ride and hopefully we can go with it if she gets that slot in The Everest, I think she deserves it.”
Viddora scored a length-and-a-quarter victory over Everest horse Brave Smash with Sydney visitor Spright in third.
Brave Smash In an ominous warning to his rivals, Darren Weir said Brave Smash is going far better than when he ran third in last year’s Everest.
And then there were three fillies in a row.
Garry Frazer’s girl passed her first Group One test with flying colours. She is tipped to return to Melbourne for the Manikato.
Tenacious filly Snitty Kitty finished fourth. She maybe headed for the Schillaci Stakes (1100m) or Caulfield Sprint (1000m) next.
While Queenslander Houtzen offered it was actually quite a good run from the. Ryan Maloney used her good barrier; she travelled well and was strong to the line without really threatening.
The favourite in the race, Nature Strip, worked very hard to get into The Everest field. But he may not actually be in the line-up for the day. He raced fiercely with 10.08 and 10.88 splits between the 800m and the 400m and then simply flagged.
Jockey Damian Lane: “He just got too keen in those middle stages and he really wanted to go on with it tonight. You just can’t go that fast and keep running.”
Trainer Darren Weir: “He was rocking along but he got around the corner and didn’t kick like he can. You’ve got to think about the horse and forget about The Everest, we’d love to get him to The Everest but the horse comes first. At this stage, I’d say it’s not the ideal preparation going into it and he might just be over the top”
While one hopeful scored, another Everest hopefully disappointed.
Jo Pride was openly teasing the other rivals in the field which included The Everest horses about beating them at their own game. And beating them well!
But he was under a lot of pressure once Nature Strip went around him at the 600m and ended up losing by over 9 lengths.
Jockey Glyn Schofield: “He didn’t quite handle the track today and he wasn’t his normal self.”
What’s next for this powerful ball?
Faatinah was simply burned out at the end. His early speed didn’t last and the stretch burned him in the final 100m. It may be onto the Caulfield Sprint next.
Mick Bell’s veteran sprinter Jungle Edge like the slop but ran hard for his connections. Its always up to the weather with him but in a surprising twist of fate, he beat the boastful Ball of Muscle.
Savanna Amour is not a 1000m horse. She settled in the back as is her norm and would have finished a length closer if there hadn’t been much interference at the 300m mark. She’ll tackle either the Schillaci Stakes or the Northwood Plume Stakes next. While Nieta was simply out of her league here.
Click here to watch Viddora Win The Moir Stakes 2018
1st Viddora (J: Joe Bowditch T: Lloyd Kennewell), 2nd Brave Smash (J: Hugh Bowman T: Darren Weir), 3rd Spright (J: Damien Oliver T: Garry Frazer), 4th Snitty Kitty (J: Mark Zahra T: Henry Dwyer), 5th Houtzen (J: Ryan Maloney T: Toby Edmonds), 6th Faatinah (J: Regan Bayliss T: David and B Hayes and T Dabernig), 7th Jungle Edge (J: Kevin Forrester T: Mick Bell),8th Nature Strip (J: Damian Lane T: Darren Weir)
Distance :1,000 metres, Surface:Turf, Track:Left-handed,Weight:Weight for Age, Purse:$500,000 (2017)
Credit: Ritesh Jamkhedkar ritesh.jamkhedkar@secretariatsworld.com