Draw big plus for Moonlite Blood at Addington tonight

By Michael Guerin

Moonlite Blood looks to be the right horse with the right draw in the feature pace at Addington tonight.

The six-year-old will start favourite in the McMillan Equine Feeds Mobile Pace (8.05pm) after a run of luckless draws from behind the mobile.

While the talented pacer with the big ownership group won four starts ago that was from a standing start whereas his most recent draws behind the mobile have been 10, 9, 5 (when fourth in a good field), 6 and 11.

In fact the last time he drew inside barrier 5 in a mobile race he finished second to the very good filly in Beside Me at Addington way back in January.

So with barrier 4 tonight trainer Andrew Stuart won’t need to give driver Robbie Close too many instructions.

“We will be leading and staying there,” says Stuart.

“He has been racing well with no luck lately but he is really well and I think he is a good bet.” 

Moonlite Blood looked a smart horse in the making last season until a form slump over the summer but has bounced back now.

There is, however, an evenness to the field and two reps from the Steve and Amanda Telfer stable in Christies Art and Miki Bennett at a stage of the season when you can feel the reigning premiers getting ready to make their winter run. 

Earlier in the night Stuart says punters could do worse than a place bet on his other starter Social Experiment (R3, No.3).

“She actually worked really well this week and while I don’t think she will beat Tee Ball she can get some money.”

Stuart is hoping tonight starts a good winter for him as he has a couple of smart lower grade horses ready to rock.

With Ashburton on Sunday tonight’s meeting has some smaller than usual pacing fields for Addington on a Friday night but overall they are even, with only two odds-on favourites on the card.

By far the hottest is Crunched (R5, No.6) who is $1.22 to leave maidens after meeting far stronger opposition in his short career so far.