Jockey Mark Zahra has recovered from a nasty fall earlier in the week and has been cleared to ride Angelic Light in the Group 1 $450,000 City Jeep Moir Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley on Friday night.
Mark Zahra will ride Angelic Light, above, in the Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
Zahra was dumped at trackwork at Caulfield on Tuesday morning and taken to hospital for x-rays of his back but luckily he escaped any serious injury.
“He landed pretty hard on his lower back and there’s some significant bruising but thankfully no structural damage,” Zahra’s manager Reece Murphy told Racing.com.
“He won’t be riding on Wednesday because he has been instructed to rest for 24 hours but he’ll be back riding at Moonee Valley on Friday.”
Zahra will be having his first ride on the Robbie Griffiths trained Angelic Light who has drawn barrier ten in the thirteen horse field.
Angelic Light is chasing her first Group 1 victory and is resuming from a spell, not having raced since finishing seventh to Lucky Hussler in the Group 1 $400,000 Brown Baldwin William Reid Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on March 27.
The Holy Roman Emperor mare has been placed twice at Group 1 level with a second to Platelet in the 2013 $400,000 Sportingbet Classic (Registered as Robert Sangster Stakes) (1200m) at Morphettville and a second to Lankan Rupee in the 2014 $1m Sportingbet Manikato Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley.
Angelic Light is a winner over the Moir Stakes course and distance when she took out the Group 2 $200,000 Mitty’s McEwen Stakes (1000m) twelve months ago and will appreciate the speed that is going to be put into the race with on pace runners Buffering, Ball Of Muscle and Rain Affair all certain to apply plenty of pressure up front.
Angelic Light is coming up against two time Moir Stakes winner Buffering who has drawn barrier six with Damian Browne to ride.
The Robert Heathcote trained four time Group 1 winner won his first Moir Stakes when it was run as a Group 2 in 2012 and the Queensland sprinter was too strong for Lankan Rupee in last year’s version when in was run over 1200m.
The Mossman gelding also ran second to Samaready in the 2013 Moir Stakes.
Zahra has three other rides at Moonee Valley on Friday night and will be aboard Lady Cumquat for Darren Weir in the $80,000 Sweeney Estate Agents Handicap (1500m), Scratchy Bottom for Mike Kent in the Group 2 $200,000 StrathAyr Track Stocks Stakes (1600m) and is on Get The Picture for Stuart Webb in the Group 2 $200,00 Jeep Stutt Stakes (1600m).
Zahra will also be riding The Tony McEvoy trained Alpine Eagle in the Group 1 $500,000 Yellowglen Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on Sunday.
In early Moir Stakes betting, Angelic Light is rated as an $11 chance with Ladbrokes.com.au.
Ciaron Maher’s unbeaten filly Petits Filous heads the market order at $2.50 ahead of rival three year old filly Fontiton at $4.60 with Buffering on the third line of betting at $7.50.
Moir Stakes market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $2.50 Petits Filous, $4.60 Fontiton, $7.50 Buffering, $9 Ball Of Muscle, $10 Flamberge, $11 Angelic Light, $19 Griante, $31 Miss Promiscuity, Headwater, $34 Le Bonsir, $41 Brook Road, $51 Sterling City, Rain Affair.
