3 minute read
The market is firm in the belief that the Gai Waterhouse trained mare More Joyous (NZ) will not be beaten in the $500,000, Group 1 Tabcorp Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.
More Joyous made herself the queen of Randwick, much like her trainer, with an outstanding win last Saturday in the Group 1 Doncaster Handicap (1600m) where she was too good for an excellent field in Australia's toughest test over the distance.
Her acceleration off the top of the rise had Nash Rawiller well in command of the race as Shoot Out, Yosei and Sincero, all Group 1 winners, tried valiantly to chase her down. The race was her third in this campaign and her third win.
Waterhouse is adamant that the five-year-old More Than Ready home-bred for John Singleton is in career best form. Certainly her wins have franked the opinion of the trainer.
The campaign commenced with the Group 2 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill on March 24 and an easy opener winning by 1 1/4L. Then it was the Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on April 7 and an even easier win, this time by 2 1/2L.
The Doncaster was definitely a considerable step up, taking on an impressive field at 57.5kg, carrying a kilogram more than Shoot Out who had won the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes at Warwick Farm in a fine display.
The track cooperated with upgrades to a Dead 5 throughout the day and More Joyous simply was a class above the rest with Shoot Out the next best.
On Saturday there is another step up, in both distance and to face off with Manighar and Americain, first and second respectively in the Group 1 BMW (2400m).
TAB Sportsbet's market has More Joyous as the $2.40 favourite while Manighar and Americain are on the second line of betting at $4. New Zealander Jimmy Choux is next best at $10.
Manighar has been turned into an Australian racehorse by Peter Moody and Luke Nolen with a crash course in race expectations, as in when the accelerator is pressed there is an expectation of forward movement.
The six-year-old Linamix gelding understands and three Group 1 wins in succession have been the result in the Australian Cup, The Ranvet and The BMW. Significantly the first two were over 2000m.
Americain was late arriving in The BMW and jockey Gerard Mosse was blamed. But in reality Americain's best distances are not over either the 2400m of The BMW or the 2000m on Saturday.
Craig Williams has the ride, but even his formidable skills may not make the handsome entire competitive with either Manighar or More Joyous over this distance. Over further than 2400m it might be a very different story.
The last time More Joyous went over 2000m she ended in fifth place to So You Think in the 2010 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley.
The additional maturity since that run will make this run considerably easier and her Doncaster Mile victory was so comprehensive that an extra 400m, while she idles in cruise mode in the run, would seem a given.
Once Rawiller asks for the extra gear More Joyous will have her third Group 1 in succession.
