The 2015 Caulfield Guineas is firmly on the agenda for the Peter Moody-trained improver Gold Symphony who posted back-to-back Group wins with a victory in the HDF McNeil Stakes on Memsie Stakes Day.
A lightly-raced son of Reward For Effort, Moody’s exciting colt Gold Symphony won the Group 3 Vain Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield Racecourse a fortnight ago in his first foray in black-type racing and showed plenty of scope with another nice win at the track.
Glen Boss retained the ride on the Triple Crown Syndications-raced galloper, relishing the association with the progressive three-year-old who jumped from barrier two in the eight-starter field for this year’s $150,000 Group 3 H.D.F. McNeil Stakes (1200m).
One of the best out of the gates and leading the McNeil Stakes field around all the way into the turn was Doug Harrison’s young rails-drawn filly Stream Ahead.
Sitting just off her were the likes of Ragazzo Del Corsa, Top Me Up and Mr Individual who raced up into third sitting three wide.
On the straight a host of horses had their chances moving up into a line over the final few hundred metres, but Mr Individual wasn’t one after butchering his run round the bend.
With 200m left till the finish, Gold Symphony and Boss made their move up the inside with Mick Price’s returning More Than Ready colt Ready For Victory, fourth in the Golden Slipper in Sydney during the autumn, also making ground and ready to dive at the line.
In a fighting finish where the winner showed plenty of determination it was Gold Symphony ($9.50) with the fitness advantage holding off a luckless Ready For Victory ($4.20) who was a good thing beaten after getting into a bad spot.
Finishing off the HDF McNeil Stakes trifecta in third was then the John O’Shea-trained Demonstrate ($18) who also ran extremely well after the New Approach gelding, fourth in the Vain Stakes last time out, was the widest runner down the straight.
Moody is now likely to continue down the path into the $1 million Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) back at the track on October 10, with Boss confirming the HDF McNeil Stakes winner had “a mile written all over him.”
“Since I first hopped on him he had the feel of a high quality colt,” Boss told the media post-win.
“He’s starting to come on as an individual now getting bigger and a bit stronger.
“He’s taking it all in his stride and is going in the right direction.
“The further he goes the better he’ll go.
“He’s got a mile written all over him.”
Boss was also thrilled with the improvement Gold Symphony showed from his Vain Stakes win a fortnight ago into the McNeil.
“The other day he overraced and did a lot wrong,” Boss said.
“Today he was so relaxed. He gets it very quickly.
“He was so responsive.
“The best part of his race was the last 50m…he was very strong.”
Last year’s HDF McNeil Stakes winner Chivalry went on to run a brave fifth to Shooting To Win in the Caulfield Guineas.
To back Gold Symphony next race and access the top Caulfield Guineas futures odds head to Ladbrokes.com.au now and open an account with the country’s leading online sportsbook!
2015 HDF McNeil Stakes Results & Finishing Order
Caulfield Race 4 – 29/08/2015
| Place | # | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Margin | Br. | Wgt. | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | GOLD SYMPHONY | Peter G Moody | Glen Boss | – | 2 | 58kg | $9 |
| 2 | 3 | READY FOR VICTORY | Mick Price | Mark Zahra | 0.2L | 3 | 57.5kg | $4.20 |
| 3 | 5 | DEMONSTRATE | John O’Shea | Craig Newitt | 0.7L | 9 | 56kg | $16 |
| 4 | 6 | TOP ME UP | Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes | Dwayne Dunn | 1.7L | 5 | 56kg | $16 |
| 5 | 7 | RAGAZZO DEL CORSA | Danny O’Brien | Stephen Baster | 2.2L | 8 | 56kg | $31 |
| 6 | 1 | PRINCE OF BROOKLYN | Mick Price | Dale Smith | 2.4L | 4 | 58kg | $3.20F |
| 7 | 10 | MR INDIVIDUAL | Leon & Troy Corstens | Michael Rodd | 2.9L | 7 | 56kg | $6 |
| 8 | 4 | STOKER | Tony McEvoy | Blake Shinn | 3.9L | 6 | 57.5kg | $15 |
| 9 | 11 | STREAM AHEAD | Doug Harrison | Patrick Keane | 8.9L | 1 | 54kg | $15 |
| – | 9 | BROCKHOFF | Ciaron Maher | Kerrin McEvoy | – | 0 | – | – |
| – | 8 | EQUINOVA | Dean Binaisse | Luke Currie | – | 0 | – | – |
