A significant drop in weight has tempted leading Victorian trainer Peter Moody to send his last start Caulfield winner Shout Out Loud to Sydney for the Group 2 $175,000 Villiers Stakes (1600m) at Warwick Farm on Saturday.
Shout Out Loud carried 57.5kg, with the help of Jake Duffy’s 2kg claim, to victory in the $100,000 The 65 Roses Victoria Cup (1440m) at Caulfield on December 1 and will drop to 54.5kg in the Villiers.
Stablemate Highly Recommended will join Shout Out Loud on the road trip to Sydney and has been allocated 53.5kg after finishing ninth in the Victoria Cup at his second run back from a spell.
“Both horses are in good form and the race suits them ideally, so they will both run in the Villiers,” Moody said.
The 1600m will suit both at this stage of their preparations and both horses will be fitter for two runs back from a spell.
Shout Out Loud is a Darwin Cup winner over 2000m as well as winning over 1600m on three occasions, once at Darwin and twice at Morphettville.
While Highly Recommended ran a respectable race when fifth to runaway winner Mosheen in the Group 1 $750,000 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on March 3 before winning the Group 2 $200,000 Top Cut Alister Clark stakes (2040m) at Moonee Valley on March 16.
The Fastnet Rock four year old was then tested in Group 1 company again but was never in the hunt and was a well beaten twelfth behind Laser Hawk in the $500,000 Flinders Lane Rosehill Guineas (2000m) at Rosehill on March 31.
The Villiers, one of the highlights of the Sydney Summer Carnival, has attracted a healthy twenty-one nominations with Ron Quinton’s Monton heading the weights with 59kg after finishing second to Malavio in the Listed $100,000 Blackwoods Stanley Dewalt Festival Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on December 8.
While Chris Waller’s Group 1 placegetter Triple Elegance is second top weight with 57kg and stable mate Thumbtacks has been handicapped with 54kg.
Peter Snowden has a strong representation with Galah, Quidnunc and Classics all backing up after running in the Festival Stakes while Gai Waterhouse’s sole nom is Goulburn Cup winner Kinnersley.
