Premier Victorian trainer Peter Moody has enjoyed a year packed-full of success thanks to his stable star Black Caviar and this weekend he will attempt to take his elite level wins for the season into double figures with Returntosender tackling the Tattersall’s Tiara.
Returntosender will represent Peter Moody in the 2011 Tattersall's Tiara on Saturday
The final Group 1 race of the season, the $500,000 Tattersall’s Tiara (1400m), formerly known as the Winter Stakes, looks to belong to the Peter Snowden-trained Beaded.
A remarkably consistent mare, Beaded scored her well-earned first Group 1 title in the Doomben 10,000 last month and comes into Saturday’s showdown on the back of a very brave second to Stephen Farley’s impressive three-year-old Sincero in the $1 million Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m).
After Beaded, due to be ridden by ace hoop Corey Brown, came up trumps with barrier three of 15 for the Tatt’s Tiara, the chances of an upset in the fillies’ and mares’ feature dropped dramatically.
Still, Moody is keeping his chin up and believes that his Elusive City mare Returntosender deserves her shot at the Tiara as much as any other runner.
A winner of four of her 25 career starts to date, five-year-old Returntosender has had six runs this year finishing out of the money just twice.
Last month she ran an eye-catching third behind another mare from the Snowden stables Kanzan in the Group 3 Glenlogan Park Stakes (1350m), a good result considering she was blocked for a run throughout.
At her most recent start, however, Returntosender failed to overcome a horror barrier draw when finishing four lengths away 10th behind winner and fellow Tattersall’s Tiara contender Hurtle Myrtle in the Group 2 Dane Ripper Stakes (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 4.
While on paper 10th place doesn’t read well for Returntosender’s form, the margin in which she was beaten was very credible as she jumped from barrier 18 of 18 and jockey Luke Nolen was forced to race her wide throughout.
On Saturday Returntosender has fared far better in the Tattersall’s Tiara barrier draw, Nolen to take the mount from barrier five for their clash with Beaded.
With Beaded the firming $2 favourite, Returntosender is rated a $31 outsider and although Moody is aware of how hard Beaded will be to beat, he does believe that she is beatable.
“Beaded is certainly a top mare and to beat her, she (Beaded) would have to run below her best,” he said.
“But she’s at the end of a long campaign after tough runs in the 10,000 and Stradbroke.
“My mare is a Group 2 winner (in the 2010 Queen of the South Stakes at Morphettville)….and she’s finally drawn an alley for the first time in a long while, so they’ll know she’s there.”
