Moqueen Bursts Into Frame For Crown Oaks After Impressive Win At Randwick

Moqueen Bursts Into Frame For Crown Oaks After Impressive Win At Randwick

Oct 02, 2016

“Wow.” That was Jason Collett’s immediate reaction after emerging filly Moqueen stormed into Crown Oaks contention with a dominant win in yesterday’s Listed TAB Dulcify Quality (1600m) at Randwick.

Trainer Anthony Cummings was due for a change of luck after Kanga’s Eye’s luckless second in the opening race at Randwick and Moqueen didn’t disappoint when she came from last to score running away by 1 ¼ lengths.

Winning jockey Collett eased the filly down over the concluding stages and was taken back by the way Moqueen went straight past her rivals in the straight.

“Wow. Just the ease of it (was impressive) and I know they aren’t the top (three-year-olds) but they are the types going on to the Oaks and the Derbies and she just annihilated them.

“She finished 0.6 lengths off Omei Sword at her first start and she has obviously got it there.

“I don’t know why and she hasn’t shown that in her first few starts this prep but today was ultra-impressive and she did that very easily.”

Yesterday’s triumph was only Moqueen’s first victory but Cummings believes the filly will only improve over more distance this spring.

She will now head to Melbourne where her march towards the Group 1 Crown Oaks (2500m) at Flemington on November 3 continues.

“She has done a really good job and she will be going to Melbourne for some of the better races down there,” Cummings said. “Certainly the Oaks looms very large and maybe the Ethereal (on October 15) or the (Caulfield Classic) on the same day against the boys.

“She beat the boys today so maybe that is worth a look.”

Moqueen ($15) caught punters off guard on Saturday but Cummings said her form wasn’t as bad as it looked on paper.

“You look back at her two-year-old form she has some of the best two-year-old form around without having won,” he said. “She should have won a Group 2 (Reisling Stakes) here when (Hugh Bowman) rode her and got stuck in a traffic jam in a six-horse field, so she has been unlucky at the right level.

“While her form coming into this didn’t look that great, it wasn’t bad and she just needed firm footing and the open stretches here to show her best.”

Moqueen firmed from $151-$17 for the Crown Oaks yesterday on the back of the effortless win and Collett is eager to stick with the filly if he can this spring.

“The way she is racing I see her running out a trip,” he said. “She was very impressive and this is only the start of the spring.”

Brad Davidson, The Daily Telegrapgh