Back in the faster lanes
MOUDRE is a galloper who has walked his way into tomorrow’s Caulfield Cup.
The seven- year- old has spent the best part o f 1 8 months on a treadmill or water walker preparing for the biggest race young trainer Ciaron Maher has tackled.
Maher has had to nurse Moudre i nto another campaign after a tendon injury sidelined him for 78 weeks.
He has run freely only occasionally on the track for the short, sharp, fast work that cannot be emulated on the machine at Maher’s Caulfield stables.
The $51 chance snared the final place in the Caulfield Cup field, with a slashing third in the Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on his return to racing last month.
The good news for Maher and jockey Kerrin McEvoy is that Moudre drew barrier five and has only 52.5kg on his back for the Group 1 tilt.
Maher believes Moudre is back and a contender, and the Melbourne Cup is his main goal. ‘ ‘ He was near favourite for the Caulfield Cup two years ago but needed to win the Naturalism Stakes to get in,’’ Maher said.
‘‘He finished fast for third in that race and missed out, and then we ran second to Americain in the Geelong Cup and missed the Melbourne Cup.’’
The consolation prize was the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) at Flemington on the final day of the carnival.
He injured the tendon the following autumn.