Mooney wants another Cup
Courtesy GRAQ website
25 May, 2009.
OWNER Ian Morgan and trainer John Mooney like the idea of winning the Albion Park Gold Cup.
They did in 2005 when Last Quoted led throughout and ran a race record to win the Group 1 Cup in 41.73.
They are back this year with Others Quoted (History Lesson-Last Quoted) the Sydney Cup winner who trialled brilliantly at Albion Park last Friday.
"She went 41.99 and her last section was very strong," said Mooney.
He is very reluctant to compare Others Quoted, winner of 12 from 32 starts, with her Gold Cup-winning mother Last Quoted.
"Two entirely different bitches," he said.
"Others Quoted is a insomniac. It's not uncommon for me to have to get up at 2.30am to walk her. Most mornings it is 4.30."
Mooney was overjoyed by the trial because it took him 12 hours to get from Sydney with her because of the heavy rainfall in northern NSW.
Others Quoted has drawn box four in her heat of the Gold Cup on Thursday night and comes up against last year's winner Chinatown Lad and local champ Queen Lauryn.
Mooney took great interest in Queen Lauryn's win at Albion Park last Thursday night in 41.63 the fourth fastest ever around the track.
"If my bitch leads, nothing will ever run her down," said Mooney. "And if I'm just a couple of lengths off Queen Lauryn at the home turn we can run her down for sure."
Mooney pointed to Queen Lauryn's final section of 13.57 when winning last week.
"My bitch ran 13.34 and there will be a lot of improvement in her."
He was adamant his bitch needed to draw from box one to four to be a chance of winning.
"If she draws wide and gets back, she finds it hard to come home," he said.
Others Quoted came to Mooney off a very ordinary break-in report.
"I was told I might win a race with her," said Mooney. "She was only a baby then and has improved considerably since."
She has now won 12 races and is a Group 2 winner.
Shane Witney is happy with Chinatown Lad in his bid to win back-to-back Cups.
"He had his back out with we've just fixed and I galloped him this morning and he flew," said Tasmanian based Whitney.
Chinatown Lad recently trialled a record-breaking 34.28 for 600m at Hobart. The track record is 34.60.
"He's going really well and I give him a great chance."
The Brisbane Club has attracted three heats of the Cup with all the top stayers included.
Mantra Lad, coming off his Sandown Cup victory, has drawn perfectly in box two for the third heat.
Kiacatoo Pearl trialled 42.02 for Dave Pringle last Friday. He has box one in that heat.
The first heat of the Cup includes Forty Twenty, coming off last week's Winter Chase victory, against Risk It from South Australia and Wayne Vassalo's Sirocco hero meeting local hope Lady Moscato.
Four heats of the Mick Byrne Memorial will also be run on the night.
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