On a night where The Cleaner strengthened his Cox Plate credentials, Mick Price was left to again lament his charge Lankan Rupee’s missing pace for the second consecutive start.
Sent out as odds on favourite in the Moir Stakes at Mooney Valley on Friday night few expected the Mick Price-trained galloper to come into much trouble in the Group 1 race.
But that’s exactly what he got, and suddenly Lankan Rupee looks a shadow of the horse that swept all before him in the autumn carnival in Sydney. My biggest concern for the connections of Lankan Rupee is that both trainer and jockey were left dumbfounded by the missing pace.
Lankan Rupee seems to be missing the speed that made him so great in the autumn and other horses are grinding the champion down too easy.
I know it’s only early in the preparation, but if you had’ve asked me if I thought Lankan Rupee would have two losses at this stage of his spring preparation, I would’ve told you to write your own ticket!
For me Buffering was no surprise the horse is all class as I noted earlier in the week with the Robert Heathcote charge winning three Group 1s last year. He’s added another in a positive sign for a horse that is now seven years old.
Heathcote himself was confident with Buffering and his horse was again a good measuring stick on Friday night. One of my favourite qualities of the Buffering win was his ability to fight out the finish.
“It looked like he was going to go down there but he’s just a little bulldog,” Heathcote said.
“It’s just great to have him back because I thought he was off his game back in the autumn.
“He’s seven now and I reckon he could go on until 10, but another three years of this … I don’t know how I’d cope.”
Meanwhile, Price’s comments after the race suggest that he is lost as to how to rectify Lankan Rupee’s problems.
“I think he races best at the bigger tracks like Flemington and Caulfield, but I can’t avoid the races here at Moonee Valley,” he said.
“We have the Manikato in four weeks and I won’t be shying away from that.”
Comments like that make me believe that Terravista will more than likely give Lankan Rupee a run for his money in a month’s time, something that will give his trainer Joe Pride something to seriously consider.
While Mick Price was licking his wounds, the same couldn’t be said for The Cleaner’s trainer Mick Burles, who must feel like he is living in dream land at the moment.
The Cleaner was gutsy in his victory in the JRA Cup (2,040m) and is fast becoming everyone’s favourite Cult Hero of the spring. The thing I love about The Cleaner is he just breaks his opponents hearts with gutsy running up front.
One important factor in all of this is Steve Arnold on board, the experienced jockey has had two perfectly ridden rides on The Cleaner, and could be seen prior to the race talking to Michelle Payne on the turf prior to the JRA Cup.
Steve Arnold rides The Cleaner with perfect timing and I would be almost close to calling that he will have the ride for the Cox Plate, and if The Cleaner can win that it’ll be one of spring’s true great stories.
Of the other good performances Dear Demi looks a red hot go for the Caulfield Cup after winning the Group Two Stocks Stakes (1,600m) and Almalad was dominant in the Bill Stutt Stakes (1,600m).
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