Start crucial for Mor Moonlight at Roxburgh today

By Jonny Turner 

Horsepower will be the last of Dan Anderson’s worries when he teams up with Mor Moonlight on Peters Genetics Roxburgh Cup Day.

The Kirstin Green-trained trotter heads to Central Otago after a powerful victory in feature race company at the recent Phoebe Stud Harness 5000 meeting at Ashburton.

Mor Moonlight had to be good to win her listed assignment when working around the field from the unruly over the 1700m sprint trip.

The promising four-year-old will face vastly different conditions when she heads to Roxburgh.

She goes from the wide open spaces of Ashburton to the tight-turning Roxburgh circuit and switches from mobile racing to a standing start.

And for those reasons, Anderson has more to focus on than whether Mor Moonlight is good enough to win.

“I drove her when she qualified and she felt like a really nice horse then.”

“I am rapt to get the opportunity to get on her at the races and hopefully we can get a bit of luck.”

“She is obviously going really good, going back to a stand and in a bigger field the start will be pretty important.”

“She got away pretty well in her last stand, hopefully she can do the same and we can get her around.”

“I do think that if she did everything right she would have to be a pretty good chance.”

Anderson links up with the trotter who's produced most of his 14 career driving wins with in Julie Jaccka, who starts in the fast class trot at Roxburgh.

The mare has produced sixth placings in the Forbury Park Trotters Cup, David Moss Stakes and the Gore Trotters Cup in her last three starts.

“She hasn’t been going bad but she’s been getting far enough back to make it hard for her.”

“Hopefully the small field can help her get amongst it a bit more.”

“She is working well and seems pretty bright in herself, if she could get a bit of luck she might be able to get a bit of money.”

Anderson also drives another Jaccka on Roxburgh Cup Day in Jaccka Evan.

The horse’s general pattern is to race on the pace, but that could change on Sunday.

“He likes to go forward, but there could be a bit of speed inside him so I will just have to play it by ear.”

“His last start at Ashburton was just OK but overall he’s been going pretty good.”

Anderson also links up with Havtimefordiamonds who must overcome a tough draw.

After a great day of racing at Omakau on Friday, the Central Otago Summer Circuit heads to Roxburgh on Sunday.

Jonny Turner's Five to Follow at Roxburgh  

Always Dreaming - Race 10

Everything about this pacer’s Gore Cup win suggests he will take all sorts of stopping in the Roxburgh Cup. For starters, Always Dreaming powered away from a quality field. But importantly, he made a flying beginning to quickly make up his handicap and find the lead. If he can do the same at Roxburgh he will take all sorts of holding out. Sunday’s field might rate a touch stronger than the one he faced at Gore, but given he bolted in there, Always Dreaming probably won’t have to go any better to be very hard to beat again.

Clotilde Wainwright - Race 4 

A strong second in the Gore Trotters Cup points to this promising mare being able to continue her outstanding form at Roxburgh. Clotilde Wainwright had to work hard to find the lead in the middle stages of her last start, which proved to be a telling factor when she was downed by Jimmy Carter. But it still rates excellent form to bring to Sunday’s fast class trot. Jimmy Carter was far from disgraced when he ran third in Group Three company at Omakau on Friday. Similarly to her stablemate Always Dreaming, Clotilde Wainwright probably just has to go as well as she did in her last start to be tough to stop.

B B Crunch - Race 7

Few young pacers deserve a victory quite like this three-year-old does. She’s taken on strong fields throughout her career and gone close in some grade races without quite grabbing a victory.That looks set to change on her trip to Roxburgh. Competitive against quality two-year-old fillies, B B Crunch stepped back into a maiden fillies and mares field in her last start at Gore. But even there she ran into another classy type and copped a horror draw. After working hard she ran a game second, pointing to a next-up win which she can secure on Sunday.

Transonic - Race 9

This four-year-old looks quite clearly to be the best horse in his Roxburgh assignment. The saying goes that there’s no such thing as a good thing in racing and Transonic is a fine example. Firstly he has to contend with the tight-turning Roxburgh track after racing a little greenly in his big last start second at Ascot Park. And secondly the pacer will have to overcome drawing barrier 1 on the second row for driver Nikita Burton. If he does everything right and gets a clear path, Transonic’s class should shine through. He’s competing in a junior driver’s race where there should be a fast pace and a few gaps opening up, which looks one major plus.

Mor Moonlight - Race 11

This looks like another case of being the best horse in the race, but with a couple of caveats for punters. This promising youngster comes to Roxburgh after a powerful feature race win at Ashburton. She won’t have to produce much more to be very hard to beat on Sunday. Mor Moonlight has to handle the Roxburgh track and bring her best manners, plus she will have a new driver on board in Daniel Anderson. While there are a few factors to consider, she still stands above her rivals as clearly the horse to beat.