VRC Derby Winner Resumes At Ellerslie

Thursday, 17 December 2009 04:30

Monaco Consul (NZ), the dual Group One winner of the Spring Champion Stakes over 2000m at Randwick and the Victoria Derby over 2500m at Flemington in the spring, is already being prepared for his next mission, this time back in New Zealand.

The High Chaparral colt is back in the Matamata stables of his trainers Mike and Paul Moroney and recently had an exhibition gallop between races at a meeting at Ellerslie, the track of his maiden win on August 22nd, just over a month away from his Randwick triumph on October 3rd.

"It was always the plan to not leave him out for that long and we believe that they (colts) are better off in the stables which is something that they do a fair bit overseas, although not seen as much here," said Mike Moroney on Sport 927 on Wednesday.

"The owners are pretty keen on having a go at the New Zealand Derby and we thought that the best path was to not keep him out for that long and to go for the two weight-for-age races rather than the three-year-old races.

"He is a horse that does not need a lot of racing so there will be a bit of time before runs before the Derby which is the sixth of March," he said.

Ellerslie will be the venue for Monaco Consul's first run towards the NZ$2.2m, Group One, Telcom New Zealand Derby (2400m), also at Ellerslie, on March 6th when the colt contests the Group One WFA Zabeel Classic (2000m) on Boxing Day.

The other race that Monaco Consul will race in is the Group One WFA Whakanui Stud International over 2000m at Te Rapa.

Monaco Consul will have a further gallop between races at the Matamata twilight meeting on December 23rd in his last piece of serious work before Boxing Day.

Sydney jockey Corey Brown, who rode the colt in the Victoria Derby, will travel to the Ellerslie meeting to ride the colt, as well as several other rides for the Moroney stable.

Brown bypasses the Australian Jockey Club's Summer Cup meeting at Randwick on Boxing Day.

Monaco Consul, out of the Star Way mare Argante, and bred by Windsor Park at Cambridge, will already have a stud career ahead of him with his record to-date and his sire High Chaparral producing the Group One WFA Cox Plate winner So You Think (NZ) as well over the spring from his first southern hemisphere crop.

The first son of High Chaparral to retire to stud will be keenly sought after with his stock being athletic and trainers now well used to the Sadler's Wells line stock in Australasian racing conditions.

Monaco Consul's record presently stands at three wins from six races and a second place, with stakes of in excess of $1m.

"We decided to have a go at the Group One races as he is a colt to try and beat the older horses and the other aspect is that other races are Group Two and Three races and usually there are 18 horses trying to qualify for the Derby and it can get a bit rough at times."

"For those two reasons we have decided to go to the weight-for-age races and the smaller fields," said Moroney.

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