By his own standards Mike Moroney has had a quiet Brisbane winter carnival this year.
However, Moroney is hoping for a change of fortune on Ipswich Cup day on Saturday when he saddles up Spitfire Lady in the Listed Gai Waterhouse Classic (1350m) and Garud in the Listed Ipswich Cup (2150m).
Moroney has been a regular visitor to Brisbane for a number of years winning a host of major Group races but this year he’s been down on numbers with only a small team here for the winter.
So far the Moroney stable has only had three starters including Asadauskaite who finished 13th to Tinto in the Group 1 Queensland Oaks (2400m) at Eagle Farm last month.
Moroney has won the Ipswich Cup twice with He’s Back On Track in 1997 and Shenzhou Steeds two years ago and is hopeful of his third with Garud.
Garud, a Michael Cahill mount, is nearing his peak after three runs back this campaign including a last start third over 2000 metres at Flemington on May 24.
The six-year-old import did his early racing in the United Kingdom and has overseas experience racing clockwise.
“He’s done a bit of racing right-handed when he was in Europe,” Moroney said.
“He’s just starting to reach his best after three runs in but I would have liked a better barrier.”
Moroney said Garud was adaptable and could take up a forward position if needed but he expected him to get back from barrier 13.
“I’m expecting him to race well and he can sneak forward if he has to,” he said.
“But from that draw he’ll probably get back a bit further.”
Moroney will decide after the Ipswich Cup whether Garud backs-up in the Listed Tattersall’s Cup (2200m) at Eagle Farm on June 21 or runs in the Listed Caloundra Cup (2400m) at the Sunshine Coast a week later.
“There’s a chance he could run in the Caloundra Cup but it’s more likely he’ll back-up the following week in the Tatt’s Cup,” he said.
“I’ll study the weather forecasts for next week and make a decision then.”
Moroney is confident Spitifire Lady can make her presence felt in the Gai Waterhouse Classic.
“We sent her to Brisbane with the specific aim to win a Stakes race,” Moroney said.
“Things didn’t go right for her last start but she’s drawn well and I’m happy with her.
“This looks a nice race for her and she won a jump-out at Caloundra quite impressively recently.”
Spitfire Lady, an Eddie Wilkinson mount, finished a well beaten fourth behind I Do in the Listed Rotorua Stakes at Arawa Park on May 10 after failing in the Group 1 Easter Handicap (1600m) at Ellerslie in April.
The four-year-old daughter of Hussonet was runner-up at her three previous runs including in a 1400-metre Listed race at Awapuni in March.
– Racing Queensland
