Tough task for Bostonian tonight
Wide draw makes winning hard in A$1 million sprint
Tony Pike knows how races like tonight’s A$1 million Moir Stakes usually end for Kiwi gallopers. But after pulling off an unlikely double with The Bostonian during the Queensland winter the Cambridge trainer now believes in miracles.
The Bostonian resumes against some of Australia’s slipperiest sprinters in tonight’s 1000m group one at The Valley in Melbourne and what was already an imposing task has been made near mission impossible by him drawing barrier 13.
“Lets be honest, our horses don’t win races like this very often,” Pike offers. “I was actually trying to think the other day when the last time was a New Zealand-trained galloper would have won a group one open sprint during the Victorian carnival and I couldn’t think of one.
“And that is even in 1200m races. Beating the Aussies over 1000m, which is far more their go, is very very hard. But I thought the same thing in Brisbane before he won the Doomben 10,000 and the Kingsford Smith Cup so it can be done.”
Pike at least goes into tonight’s race thrilled with how forward The Bostonian is with the stable proving the worth of that residual Queensland winter fitness when Endless Drama bolted away with the Foxbridge Plate last month. But trying to catch speed machines likes Nature Strip and Sunlight around The Valley is a vastly more daunting challenge, although the Australian form analysts at least give Pike some hope the wide barrier may not be a disaster at 11.30pm (NZ time) tonight.
“Obviously there is a heap of speed inside him so they will go hard but there are even a couple of horses drawn outside him who like to go hard. And we are being told there are a few in the middle draws who tend to go back at the start so we are hoping a slot appears in the middle of the pack we can get midfield oneoff.
“That means getting a lot of luck and we know it might not happen.
“But this is the grade we are in now. There are no easy races trying to win a group one sprint at this carnival.”
Trainer Chris Waller has declared he will instruct James McDonald to give Natures Strip his head tonight and from barrier one that could see the speedster lead, which will at least appease punters who hated him being asked to settle last start.
Still, even around The Valley this could be a hard race to lead throughout.
The Bostonian isn’t the only high class New Zealand thoroughbred on show tonight as three outstanding mares find themselves in suitable races.
Auckland Cup winner Glory Days steps up to 2040m in the JRA Cup and champion jockey Craig Williams has stuck with her after they combined for a strong fifth at Flemington last start over 1700m.
Her opposition, which includes Yucatan, are talented without being totally scary for this time of the year but whether The Valley suits Glory Days’ racing style should depend on the tempo.
Earlier in the night Consensus returns to the track where she won the Sunline Stakes in March under very similar circumstances in the Stock Stakes (group two, 1600m), with Cambridge mare Rondinella co-flying our flag. Both are proven in Australia and good enough to win if the race goes their way as again they are not racing the best mares going around.