![]() “We knew we had to take the freshness out of his legs because he’s a hard going horse. “We’ve aimed him at this for a while and really think he’s the right one,” he said. The Doncaster has been the long-term target for Bankers Choice and Moroney has his fingers crossed for the opportunity to execute the plan. “We’re due a turn and it’s a stronger version this year, but she’s going as well and she’s a tough mare and we’ll back up in the Cup as long as everything is okay.” ![]() “Last year was a bit of a mistake when she won this race and beat the subsequent Sydney Cup winner (Knight’s Order), but she was going to be sold so we never put her in the Cup. “She’s a very good staying mare and I thought she was a tragedy beaten in the Auckland Cup,” Moroney said. Nerve Not Verve was a close and unlucky last-start second in the Group 2 Auckland Cup (3200m) and arrived in Sydney last Sunday for her Chairman’s defence and the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) on Saturday week. “I ran him the day they shouldn’t have run the race (Group 3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude, 1400m) when it poured with rain and it frazzled him and I had to turn him out.” “He’s always looked pretty smart, but he had a bit of a hiccup in the spring which was disappointing,” Moroney said. Japanese Emperor has won one of his five starts and has come back to top form strongly after his first preparation was cut short. “It may be touch and go on breeding whether he gets the trip, but every time we’ve raised the bar he’s been up to it.” “Daniel was adamant that he ran through the line well enough and couldn’t see any reason not to run him,” he said. “To be fair to him though, he had a closed eye an hour after the race and obviously copped one and that’s probably why he ducked back in and didn’t quite round off the last bit.”Ī post-race assessment from rider Daniel Stackhouse encouraged Moroney to head to Sydney with the gelding. “He got a good run through and wouldn’t have beaten the winner, but I was a fraction disappointed that he didn’t run second,” he said. Moroney was initially a touch disheartened with Japanese Emperor’s run in the Alister Clark, but was forgiving after the event. “I’ve poured the work into him and he’s handled it really well.” “He’s proved he’s not that far off them and he’s been a bit chubby this time in and I’ve been half a run behind and hope we’re not still. ![]() ![]() “We’ve always known he’s pretty good and that’s why we threw him in at the deep end this time pretty quickly and he’s raced really well,” Moroney said. He ran third in the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington at a three-figure quote and showed that was no flash in the pan when again third in the Group 2 Alister Clark Stakes (2040m) at Moonee Valley. The lightly raced Japanese Emperor is the highest-priced representative of his sire to date and in his last two runs has showed why Moroney and brother Paul parted with $360,000 to secure him out of Rich Hill Stud’s draft at Karaka. The other member of the team in Sydney is Bankers Choice and the Mongolian Khan five-year-old needs one more defection to come off the ballot for a crack at the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m). The expatriate Kiwi trainer has Satono Aladdin’s son Japanese Emperor in the Group 1 Australian Derby (2400m) while Nerve Not Verve, a daughter of Shocking, will defend her title in the Group 2 Chairman’s Quality (2600m). Michael Moroney has a pair of in-form New Zealand-bred prospects chasing feature events at Randwick on Saturday and is desperately hoping a third can also be presented with his opportunity. Andrew Birch Japanese Emperor will contest Saturday’s Group 1 Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick. ![]()
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