Trainer Mike Moroney is hoping for a drastic form reversal for his old warhorse Wall Street in the Group 2 $300,000 Gold Coast Turf Club A D Hollindale Stakes (1800m) at the Gold Coast on Saturday.
The Melbourne Cup winning trainer has taken the blinkers off Wall Street after he put in one of the worst performances of his career, beating one runner home in the Group 1 $2m BMW Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick on April 21 when eighteenth to More Joyous.
“I made a blue by putting blinkers on him for the Doncaster but he pulled his head off,” Moroney said.
“They’re coming off for the Hollindale and I’m expecting him to go a lot better.”
“He’s never won right-handed but if he can find his best form he’ll be very hard to beat.”
Moroney is at a quandary as to why Wall Street has never won the right handed way of going and said there is no evidence in his action to shed any light why all his wins have been the Melbourne way.
Oly (Damien Oliver) has been riding him lately and he can’t find a reason why he doesn’t seem to race at his best right-handed,” Moroney said.
“He doesn’t get on the wrong leg or anything like that. It’s just one of those things.”
Moroney is certain if the winner of four Group 1 races can find anything near his best form, he will be right in it on Saturday and give him the green light to continue onto the Group 1 $500,000 Kirks Doomben Cup (2000m) at Doomben on May 19 and the Group 2 $250,000 Eagle Farm Cup (formerly known as the O’Shea Stakes) (2200m) at Eagle Farm on June 2.
“He’s up there for the Doomben Cup and then the O’Shea Stakes,” he said.
“I’ll see how he goes in these three races before we make a decision about the Brisbane Cup.”
Moroney ran second in last year’s Hollindale Stakes with Glass Harmonium before the grey went on to win the Eagle Farm Cup and is looking for his second Doomben Cup after taking out the WFA race with Sarrera in 2008.
Wall Street has done the full circle after being originally trained by Moroney, the seven year old had an extended time away from the racetrack with a severe leg injury.
When he returned to racing he was in the care of New Zealand trainer Jeff Lynds who was able to win four Group 1s with the lightly raced gelding before being transferred back to Moroney.
“He originally started off with me as a three-year-old before he bowed a tendon,” Moroney said.
“He had 12 months off after that and was doing a lot of beach work and when he was ready to start back Jeff trained him in New Zealand.”
“He might be seven but he’s only lightly raced.”
With Damien Oliver going to Adelaide on Saturday to ride Zabeelionaire in the Group 1 $500,000 Centrebet South Australian Derby (2500m) at Morphettville, Glyn Schofield will take over the reins on Wall Street.
