Moroney saddles up Caloundra Cup trio

By Glenn Davis
BRISBANE, July 2 AAP - It hasn't quite been the gold rush Mike Moroney had hoped for this winter, but the trainer has three chances to win Saturday's Listed Caloundra Cup.
Moroney favours Tinseltown as the stable's best hope ahead of Calatrava and Prix Du Sang in the $200,000 2400-metre feature.
The trans-Tasman trainer isn't yet calling it stumps for the winter and may back-up Tinseltown and Calatrava in the Listed Queensland Cup (3200m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday week.
"We've won a few Group Ones this season but we've had a frustrating time," Moroney said.
Moroney recorded feature placings during the autumn with Divine Rebel, who was runner-up in the Sydney Cup, while Monaco Consul finished third in the AJC Australian Derby and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Marheta gave Moroney his best result during the winter in Brisbane by winning the Group Three Doomben Roses before being runner-up to Kiwi filly Miss Keepsake in the Group One Queensland Oaks (2400m) at Eagle Farm on June 5.
"Marheta got to the front a little too soon in the Oaks," he said.
"We've had a good season again but it would be nice to win the Caloundra Cup."
Tinseltown was considered to be physically weak when he came to Brisbane last winter when he was placed in the Group Two Brisbane Cup but this year Moroney rates him much stronger.
"He's the proven performer of my three and he should have the edge over the other pair," he said.
Moroney believed Tinseltown's performance when ninth to Crossthestart in last month's Brisbane Cup wasn't as bad as he first thought.
"He got further back than we wanted and by the time he got to them in a slow-run race they sprinted away from him again," Moroney said.
"It made his run look that much more ordinary when it really wasn't.
"The track was also a little too hard for him and he'll appreciate the softer ground at Caloundra."
Moroney isn't abandoning the hopes of Calatrava and Prix Du Sang who indicated by their last performances they could be improvers.
Calatrava came from well back on the home turn to finish sixth to Our Lukas in the Listed Ipswich Cup (2150m) two weeks ago.
Prix Du Sang is coming off a fifth, less than four lengths from the winner Mirrasalo, in the Group Three Tattersall's Cup (2200m) at Eagle Farm last Saturday.
"Calatrava was luckless in her first run here in the Chairman's Handicap and she was woeful in the O'Shea (Eagle Farm Cup)," Moroney said.
"But her Ipswich Cup run was much better when she came from well back.
"Prix Du Sang's run when she ran fifth in the Tatt's Cup was her best for some time."
Moroney plans to send Tinseltown back to New Zealand after the Queensland winter to tackle the summer staying races in his homeland.
"I thought about the Grafton Cup with him but he'll go back to New Zealand. Beatboy will be our runner in the Grafton Cup," he said.
Moroney rates fellow Kiwi stayer Indikator as the hardest for his trio to beat in the Caloundra Cup.
"Indikator beat Tinseltown in the Rotorua Cup before we came over here but we did give him a lot of weight that day," he said.
AAP TURF