Champagne occasion for Moore
There were no countbacks and no question marks, only the brilliance of Darren Beadman as he scythed the John Moore-trained Smart Giant through gaps that opened as if by his command and dashed the championship hopes of Tony Cruz that had seemed so inevitable for most of the past month.
Moore had been seven victories behind Cruz with three meetings to run, two behind to commence yesterday's card, and beat him by two, winning with nine of his last 30 runners for the term and four of nine on the final day as Sea Prince (Vincent Ho Chak -yiu) pushed the door wide open and Beadman sent Victory Master, Smart Giant and finally Silver Grecian through it.
After Sea Prince and Victory Master, the two leading trainers were level on 72 wins but the title would go to Moore on a countback of seconds if it remained that way. Cruz still had chances to come with Crown Witness, Pure Champion and St Fevre at that stage and a comeback was possible, but Beadman killed that off when he drove Smart Giant past the John Size-trained plunge horse Fay Fay.
Moore called it a 'dream come true' for all the stable and a great team effort as he claimed a sixth trainers' championship, his first since 1995, but the trainer was already looking ahead with Derby hopeful Smart Giant and with a team coming together for a tilt at the Melbourne racing carnival at the end of the year.
News that Australian quarantine authorities have approved Sha Tin as a quaratine facility came as an extra positive on a day that lived up to all Moore's expectations.
'Darren and I knew we had a great team for today - a team that you would take to the races any time in the year and think you could win three races with - but it doesn't always come together. Today it did and on the right day,' said Moore.
Champions & Chater Cup winner, Mighty High has already been confirmed as heading for the Caulfield Cup in October while he may be joined by Silver Grecian or Xtension, or even both now that the quarantine issues are being cleared.
'I'm still hoping to convince the owner of Xtension to go for the Cox Plate,' Moore said. 'There are a lot of people saying he should stay here and concentrate on the International mile race but if the quarantine is right and I can get him back here straight after the Cox Plate, he'll have five to six weeks to get him ready again for the Mile and I think that is enough time. I have to make sure of the exact position from Racing Victoria, and there isn't a lot of time because I'm thinking they would have their first runs there in September, but if this news is correct then it is doable.'
Silver Grecian's Group One targets would be the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at 1,400m and the Toorak Handicap over 1,600m, races in which Moore was runner-up with Super Kid several seasons ago.
'I think Mr Siu is interested in going and I'll have to speak to him further, but the handicap events are a real possibility and I think we would even throw in an entry for the Cox Plate,' Moore said. 'Silver Grecian has taken a little time to acclimatise but he hasn't had a lot of luck in his last two runs. Today, a great ride from Darren and he got the luck and showed what he can do, and he's a quality horse.'
Smart Giant, like the season's Horse Of The Year and Derby winner, Ambitious Dragon, is a son of Pins and closely-related to former classic winning New Zealand filly, Daffodil.
'I would have liked to step him up to a mile today but that would have put him in Victory Mascot's way, so he had to stay at 1,400m, but Darren and I have always felt he would be a miler or further,' Moore said. 'And being out of that Daffodil family, you would have to think that he might get even further than that. He's been one of the stable stars this season and I think he'll make a top horse.'
16
The number of years since John Moore last won the trainers' championship
