Travelling foreman for the country’s leading trainer Chris Waller, Johanne Taylor said the stable were pleased to draw an inside alley for Saturday’s Kingston Town Classic 2014 favourite Moriarty.
Moriarty is likely to settle midfield off the fence from the inside alley in Saturday’s Kingston Town Classic 2014. Photo: Steve Hart.
The veteran Sydney raider drew gate three for the $500,000 Group 1 Kingston Town Classic (1800m) at Ascot Racecourse, which will be the seven-year-old’s second start in Perth.
Moriarty is likely to jump from barrier one on the weekend with the first two alleys allocated to the last two of the four emergencies for the weight-for-age classic – Red Blast (1) and Real Love (2).
Last time out the Clodovil gelding ran a fast-finishing third under a length off the locally-trained winner Elite Belle in his maiden WA run in the state’s richest race – the $1 million Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) on November 22.
That day Nash Rawiller gave him a patiently-timed ride just off the pace from an outside barrier 15 of 16 draw before flashing home late to finish in the money and secure his spot at the top of the Kingston Town Classic odds at Ladbrokes.com.au for round two.
This weekend there’s a bit of a mix-up with the suspended Rawiller to be replaced by champion Hong Kong hoop Douglas Whyte, due back home to ride at Sha Tin on Sunday, and an outside barrier replaced by the run on the fence.
Taylor said the team were confident Moriarty can adapt and the Craven Plate winner, 14th in the Caulfield Cup and eighth to Happy Trails in the Mackinnon Stakes in Melbourne before his trip west this season, would relish barrier one.
Plans would be to avoid the fence in the capacity 16-starter field and have the top fancy settled midfield in what Taylor hopes is a speedily run race.
“We are definitely happy with three,” Taylor told The West Australian.
“He’ll probably come into one with two of the emergencies drawn inside him.
“From there we have options, but we probably don’t want to be on the fence.
“I envision him being around midfield and hopefully there is plenty of speed in the race.
“The way he found the line in the Railway, we couldn’t have asked for more from the horse. It’s what we wanted.”
It was the opposite luck in Tuesday night’s Kingston Town Classic barrier draw for exciting three-year-olds Rommel and Disposition meanwhile.
The duo ran first and second respectively in the Group 2 WA Guineas (1600m) at the track on Railway Stakes Day, the race having produced last year’s Kingston Town Classic winner Ihtsahymn, with the Grant Williams-trained Disposition suffering his first loss in an upset to the Neville Parnham-trained winner.
Rommel is now looking to complete the WA Guineas – Kingston Town double the Fred Kersley-trained Ihtsahymn achieved last Perth Summer Racing Carnival but will have his work cut out form him in the outside barrier.
Perth’s premier jockey William Pike meanwhile could now be regretting his surprise decision to jump off the Railway Stakes winner Elite Belle, in barrier 10 for Peter Hall on Saturday, and instead partner with Disposition in the Kingston Town with the youngster in barrier 17 (into 13) on the 52kg light-weight with his last start conqueror.
The defending Kingston Town Classic winner Ihtsahymn has also drawn wide for Saturday’s major in barrier 18 (into 14) for Paul Harvey who holds the riding record in the race with four winners: Old Comrade (2000, 2001), Modem (2004) and most recently Megatic (2007).
Our No. 1 recommended online bookie Ladbrokes.com.au will be opening updated Kingston Town Classic betting markets shortly making now the time to sign-up with them and get in on the Perth racing action this weekend!
