Moroney Confirms Tassie Trip for The Mighty Lions

Monday, 20 January 2003 00:00

Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Michael Moroney today confirmed his promising mare The Mighty Lions would have her next start in the AAMI Hobart Cup (2400m) on February 10.

The Mighty Lions was a courageous second in the Visit Handicap over 2020m at Caulfield last Saturday after being forced to race wide for the majority of the trip.

Moroney targeted the AAMI Hobart Cup for the lightly raced four-year-old after she scored an impressive win at Sandown on December 28.

"I believe this mare is of the same mould as Imax and he was very competitive in the Hobart and Launceston Cups last year, so that’s where we intend to go with The Mighty Lions," Moroney said.

Imax was second in last year’s AAMI Hobart Cup behind St. Andrews and he ran third to that horse in the AAMI Launceston Cup.

"I was in New Zealand over the weekend and didn’t see this mare’s run at Caulfield on Saturday but from all reports it was very good and all being well she will have her next start in the AAMI Hobart Cup," he said.

The Mighty Lions has been handicapped to carry 51.5kg in the AAMI Hobart Cup, while last year’s winner St. Andrews and the Gai Waterhouse-trained duo Arlington Road and Stowaway share top weight of 58.5kg.

Moroney is happy with the weight allotted to his mare, but trainer Tony McEvoy is disappointed about the weight for his promising stayer You Little Beaut, who will have to carry second top weight of 56kg if he makes the trip across Bass Strait.

"It was only the weight that got him beaten last start when he had to carry 58kg," McEvoy said.

While McEvoy is now unlikely to send You Little Beaut to Tasmania, he confirmed another of his promising stayers, Jeune’s Mark, would definitely tackle the AAMI Hobart Cup.

"After looking at the weights I can confirm Jeune’s Mark will go to Tassie for the AAMI Hobart Cup as he has 52kg."

"I’m very happy with Jeune’s Mark’s progress and he will have one more run in Melbourne before heading to Hobart," he said.

McEvoy has focused on Tasmania with a number of his stable tenants for some of the feature races during the AAMI Tasmanian Summer Racing Carnival that begins in earnest on Sunday (February 26).

The feature races on the opening day of the carnival are Thousand Guineas (1600m) and Hobart Guineas (2100m) for three-year-olds, weight-for-age Tattersall’s Stakes (1200m) and the Jockey Club Cup that offers the winner ballot free entry into the AAMI Hobart Cup.

McEvoy will despatch his promising three-year-old gelding Kingdom Of Stars to Tasmania by sea on Wednesday (January 23) to prepare for Sunday’s Hobart Guineas and then head to the Tasmania Derby on February 8.

PICS - Quentin Lang.

Media Release - AAMI Hobart Cup