Group 1 winner Moment Of Change has succumbed to a leg injury and trainer Peter Moody has sent the four year old straight to spelling paddock and will miss the rest of the Spring racing.
Moment Of Change will miss the remainder of the Spring with a leg injury. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Moody will turn his attentions to the Autumn with Moment Of Change who rose to Group 1 winning status with a last start win in the $400,000 Clamms Seafood Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on September 30.
The leading trainer had always held a high opinion of the Barely A Moment geldings and his potential was realised with an empathic win at Caulfield coming from the outside barrier.
Moody was set to nominate Moment Of Change for the Group 1 $400,000 David Jones Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield on Saturday but was forced to reconsider after the four year old failed to respond to treatment.
“We waited until this morning to see how he was, but it wasn’t good enough so we have decided to put him in the paddock for the autumn,’ Moody said.
“It’s no secret I hold him in very high regard. He’s just been dogged by a bit of bad luck. His record could’ve been a bit better but it was nice to see him get that Group 1 out of the way.”
The Toorak Handicap has attracted sixteen nominations with Gai Waterhouse’s glamour mare More Joyous heading the weights at 60kg with grand New Zealand Group 1 winner King Mufhasa allocated 59.5kg.
The Stepehn Mckee trained King Mufhasa took his Group 1 winning tally to ten with an all the way win in the Group 1 NZ$200,000 Windsor Park Plate (1600m) at Hastings on September 22.
King Mufhasa is no stranger to Caulfield having taken out last year’s Toorak Handicap as well as the Group 1 $500,000 Cathay Pacific Futurity Stakes (1400m) earlier in the year during the Autumn carnival.
The Robert Heathcote trained Solzhenitsyn will get another chance at Group 1 glory in the Toorak Handicap after showing he is up to the class with a solid third to Moment Of Change in the Rupert Clarke.
The six year was one of a few runners to make any ground on the day when he came from just better than midfield to run home strongly for third at his first attempt in Group 1 company after stringing together four wins in Brisbane including the Group 3 $115,000 WFA Carlton Mid Lord Mayor’s Cup (1600m) at Doomben on May 19.
