Malan's Maiden sets Ballymore up for good weekend!

A horse who has always shown talent – but who still does a bit wrong, Malan was impressive breaking his maiden at Ballarat on Thursday.

Always travelling well on the rails behind the leaders, the still lightly raced four-year-old was held up early in the straight – switching off heels and quickly getting clear.

Whilst the winning margin was not a big one, Malan won with plenty of hand – racing greenly over the final stages; in the words of jockey Brodie Loy – “he just started thinking a bit too much!”

“I was always confident,” he said – “he settled nicely and really let down on this bog track.”

Well regarded by the stable, Malan is a horse who is – said Michael Moroney – up to better things.

“He has got real city class ability,” he said, “but he has always had a few little tricks. Once he irons them out it will be onwards and upwards for him.”

It is good to have the stable in winning form leading into a big weekend with three Caulfield runners on Saturday and one – Muirfield – at Rosehill.

“We are hoping for some rain for Muirfield,” Moroney said – “as he really is at his best on softer tracks. He is well weighted and if the going happen to be slow he would be right in it.”

Freshened since a game fourth in the Queensland Cup, Muirfield has coped well with the travelling and has settled in nicely at the Sydney stables.

Our day at Caulfield kicks off with the Australian debut of the import Araldo (pictured) who lines up in the Legacy Badge Appeal Handicap over 1600m.

“It will be very interesting to see how he fares,” said Moroney, noting that the sparingly raced six-year-old has shown improvement in recent weeks.

“He was run off his feet at his first jump-out but he went a way lot better at his next one.”

“We have been happy with him,” he continued – “he looks particularly well.”

Describing Araldo, a son of Monaco Consul’s sire High Chaparral as “a really lovely, strong horse,” Moroney thinks the time given to the entire has proven an asset – “he has really settled in now.”

Noble Park, running in the Winslow Constructors Handicap, is our second Caulfield runner and we have our fingers crossed that improve on his latest disappointing showing.

“We are hoping it was just a matter of him not handling his first run at Moonee Valley,” Moroney said.

“He has worked well since and we have added some gear as he has been laying in a bit. He does have to improve on form but we could not be surprised if he did.”

Tackling one of the feature events of the day – the Group Three Cockram Stakes, in-form mare Octavia looks set to run her usual honest race.

“The main question mark on her is the three weeks between runs,” Moroney said – “she is not a typical sprinting type in that you really do have to keep the work up to her, she can get away on you a bit.”

“But we think we have got the work into her and she deserves a crack at a race like this.”

Already proven at stakes level – taking out the Listed Kevin Hayes Stakes in February, Octavia was game saluting at Caulfield last time out.