Moonee Valley Midweek

With abandoned meetings of late, we are taking the opportunity to run seven horses at Wednesday's Moonee Valley meeting and we are hoping to cheer on a few winners!

Kicking off our busy day is imported mare Baqaat in the opening event, the Essendon Hyundai i30 0-89 Handicap over 2040m.

"She went really well fresh," Michael Moroney - referring to the five-year-old's game effort to finish third over a mile at Bendigo a few weeks ago.

"And she is going nicely at the moment," he continued, adding that "it is a tough enough race but she was not far off these sort of horses last time in and she should prove competitive."

In the following race, the Essendon Hyundai i30 0-78 Handicap, we saddle up no less than four runners - Picture Editor, Nordic Duke, Devonshire Duke and Spectral Black.

"We are taking the ear muffs off Picture Editor as the jockey thought last time that they made him too relaxed," Moroney reported.

"However his last run was quite good and this does look a nice race for him."

Second at Sandown and seventh at Flemington in good quality races at his last couple, Nordic Duke is - says Moroney "the horse most down in class of our runners."

"Any amount of rain would help him," he said of the four-year-old who boasts slow and heavy track victories.

Back from Sydney, Devonshire Duke is unproven at 2000m but Moroney is hoping the rise in distance will suit - "he is bred for it so hopefully he will run up to his pedigree."

Spectral Black, game in defeat at Pakenham last start, is also rising in distance.

"He also faces a bit of a class rise," Moroney admitted, "but he is aided by a nice draw."

Later in the day we have Lordoftheparrots - who missed a run at Sandown last Saturday - second up in the City Jeep Handicap.

"It may be that he is still half a run away," Moroney said, noting that the gelding has taken a little longer to come to hand as he has got older - "but he is a horse who can find form quickly."

About Square (pictured), who is also racing at the Valley after missing a Sandown run, races in the final event and he is expected to run well after an eye-catching fourth at Flemington last time out.

"He looks pretty well placed," Moroney said.