He is one of only a handful of Australians to have scored a goal in a soccer world cup and has played for some of the biggest clubs in the world, but these days former Socceroo Craig Moore gets his kicks out of thoroughbred ownership.
Moore owns a share in Stradbroke Handicap hopeful Buffering, and he admits that he has been bitten by the horse racing bug, with the former Brisbane Roar skipper often making pre-dawn appearances at Robert Heathcote’s trackwork sessions.
“I want to see how my horses are going. As an owner, it helps to have an interest and passion in your horses,” said Moore.
“I do tend to annoy Rob a little bit, but now that I’ve retired as a player, I’ve got more flexibility and time. It’s a fantastic industry to be involved in.”
Moore’s former Socceroos team mates Zeljko Kalac and Scott Chipperfield also have a share in the horse, and Moore says it was Kalac who is responsible for naming Buffering.
Kalac, who owned horses with Heathcote while he was playing in Europe, would try and watch his horses race on internet, however the big AC Milan Goal Keeper would get so frustrated when the coverage was interrupted by web buffering that he swore he would one day name a horse Buffering.
Moore, who will attend Eagle Farm on Saturday with Kalac said that he thought race horse ownership was a great way for him to stay in touch with his former team mates.
“When you’re playing, you see those guys often, but when you retire, you can lose contact with them. This is a way of keeping everyone together.” Moore said.
Buffering produced a promising run in the BTC Cup at Doomben last month when he finished third behind star sprinters Black Caviar and Hay List.
That was followed by a less than impressive run in the Doomben 10,000 where he finished well down the track.
“We were certainly disappointed with the last run, but it was a tough race,” said Moore.
“This is another great race to be involved in. It’s a distance we’ve not taken on before, but we’ve got a light weight (52kg), and if we can get a nice smother and the horse can relax we’re a chance.”
Buffering, who is currently rated a $35.00 chance in the Stradbroke, will be ridden by Glyn Schofield, after regular jockey Larry Cassidy was suspended for careless riding at a recent mid-week meeting at Doomben.
Craig Moore confirmed that Buffering would be spelled after the Stradbroke and prepared for the Melbourne spring carnival.
