Moloney repays leg up with a winning display
A PUSH from fellow jockey Rhys McLeod for Pat Moloney to take the ride on Crestani in the Dual Choice Plate paid dividends on Wednesday as the son of Nicconi saluted in the time-honoured 1200m race at Geelong.
Trainer Patrick Carey heeded the call and Moloney, who won the Geelong Cup on Vengeur Masque in 2017, did the rest to see the favourite across the line in first place.
“We came here with a plan to be quite positive out of the barriers. We were afforded an even barrier and he didn’t begin brilliantly but he was quick to muster,” Moloney said.
“We got in a lovely trailing position behind Leiter and he carted me up in the race. I rode him like the best horse in the race, basically, and he was too good for them.
“Rhys (McLeod), at Bendigo on Saturday, said to me that I’d want to give Pat a call and try to get on this horse. He’d run enormous last start and he said that he couldn’t do the weight and I could.
“Cheers to him for kicking up for me and I gave Pat (Carey) a call and Mr Watkins, who is the owner, he has always supported me and they backed me in, and I was able to get the job done for them.”
Carey said Crestani would now look to work his way through the grades and called on the Geelong Racing Club to look at an increase for prizemoney for future Dual Choice Plate races.
“This horse can handle a range of tracks down to slow. He’s won by probably a neck or half-length today and he just wants to be picked through the grades over a period of time,” he said.
“He’s a lightly raced four-yearold, so we don’t have to be too ambitious with good stake money around. Mind you, I did win this race about 10 years ago – maybe even more – and it was worth $100,000, so I think Geelong need to have a look at that.
“Rhys McLeod rides him a lot and Rhys is always of the opinion that he can get seven furlongs, and I value Rhys’ judgment. He’s right more often than wrong, so we will see.”