A bit too gutsy!

He’s as tough and as honest as they come – Saturday’s gutsy Caulfield winner Abitafado.

Deserving of a win after four consecutive city placings, the five-year-old has been racing in great heart – Moroney noting this week that the gelding “has never looked better.”

Successful at eight of his 38 starts and finishing in the first three at well over half of those runs, Abitofado has amassed over $234,000 in stakes – a great effort for a horse who cost just NZ$6000 as a yearling.

Selected by Paul Moroney as a yearling for fellow NZ trainer Paul Harris, Abitofado was purchased by the stable towards the end of his three-year-old campaign.

“Since then he has won a couple of hundred thousand,” Michael Moroney said, “so he has been a great horse for us.”

Having to do a bit of early work from his outside gate at Caulfield on Saturday, Abitofado was nevertheless always travelling well. Apprentice Adam McCabe rode a patient race on him – letting the two leaders sneak away a bit before the turn before making a well timed run.

Hitting the lead early in the straight, Abitofado put a length on his rivals before being strongly challenged by Makeadreamcometrue. That horse looked to have his measure a couple of times but our boy fought back gamely.

“He fights really hard,” Moroney said. “That horse had him cold but he just kept digging.”

Raced by Matthew Fraser, Bill Vasilopoulos, Michael Antill, Denis Coombs, Peter Walker, Robert Veitch, Glen Flude, Graeme Walter and The Fat Belly Martin Racing Syndicate (manager Andrew Slattery), Abitofado is by the Gr.2 winning Sunday Silence stallion Black Tuxedo out of the unraced Khozaam mare Fleet Dream.

Also dam of the Singapore based Gr.3 placegetter Superior Warrior, she is a half sister to the NZ 1000 Guineas-Gr.1 winner Be Boss.

Abitofado’s colours of maroon, white and lime have history behind them – being the original silks owned by the late Alan Hely, part owner of the champion Red Anchor.

Hely, a friend of Abitofado’s owners, was proud that his colours had been worn to victory on every metropolitan track in Australia and now the success continues.