Brisbane trip possible for Consul

Brad Waters
Wednesday, 21 April 2010, www.racenet.com.au

 

The Mike Moroney stable will put three-year-old Monaco Consul on trial for a Brisbane winter campaign in Saturday’s Group I Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick.

The son of High Chaparral produced a rapid form reversal to run third at his last start in the Group I AJC Australian Derby after a disastrous New Zealand campaign.

“He found a rock-hard track first-up which caused a few problems going into his second run over there,” Moroney’s stable foreman Anthony Feroce said.

“Then he didn’t get the best ride in the New Zealand Derby but he turned it all around over here in the Derby.

“We’ll see what he does in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. If he can produce the same sort of run as he did in the (Australian) Derby, then we’ll press on to the Queensland Derby.”

Jay Ford won the Group I Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick in October and has regained the mount on the colt in Saturday’s $350,000 event.

Monaco Consul will be out to emulate the deeds of Intergaze who became the only three-year-old to win the Queen Elizabeth Stakes when he upset Octagonal’s racetrack farewell in 1997.

Moroney won the All Aged Stakes with the $51 outsider Sarrera in 2008.

Meanwhile, the Moroney camp will also have Viking Hero engaged in the Group III Frank Packer Plate (2000m) at the Randwick meeting.

Feroce said Viking Hero was set to run in the AJC Australian Derby before throat problems thwarted the colt’s Derby bid.

“He got a bit of a cold which caused a build up of mucus in his trachea,” Feroce said. “We had to stop with him and treat him which meant we couldn’t run him in the Derby.

“He’s done well since then so hopefully he can get back on track in Sydney.”

Champion jockey Damien Oliver will take the reins on Viking Hero in the $125,000 event.