Blue Moon Rises To The Challenge

BLUE Moon Rising confirmed he's right on track for Saturday week's Group 1 Association Cup heats win an all-the-way victory in the Group 3 Ladbrokes Gold Cup Final at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.

Heading into the $25,000 to-the-winner finale for John and Minnie Finn as the third fancy behind litter-sisters Poco Dorado and Veloce Nero, Blue Moon Rising (Fernando Bale x Chica Destacada) made a one act affair of the group 3 feature, surging to the front to score by 4 ¼ lengths in a career best 41.90.

Finishing second was a gallant race favourite Poco Dorado, while third, just a whisker away, was Little Digger for Jack Smith.

Saturday night's victory was Blue Moon Rising's second group race success, following on from his stunning Group 1 win in the Fanta Bale Super Stayers Final (725m) at The Meadows earlier in the month.

Now a winner at 20 of his 71 starts, Blue Moon Rising's prizemoney earnings have spiraled to $273,000, and along with litter-sister Poco Dorado, appear the two leading chances of deposing Tornado Tears in the upcoming Group 1 Association at Wentworth Park, a feat Blue Moon Rising accomplished when annexing the Super Stayers at The Meadows.

Saturday night's victory was the 85^th win by the four chasers from the Fernando Bale x Chica Destacada litter, the quartet all finalists in the weekend's Gold Cup.

The four gallopers have now won over $800,000 in stake-money, with plenty more left in the tank it would seem.

Meanwhile, on a fantastic program of racing out of headquarters in the countdown to next week's Group 1 Golden Easter Egg heats, fast times were certainly the order of the night.

In the opening event, Jodie Lord's Winlock Huddy scorched over the 520m in a blinding 29.56, while in the third event, Ray Webster's Lagoon Rhett made light work of box five to record a dazzling 29.67.

Frank Hurst's outstanding juvenile Good Odds Buddy landed his sixth win from just 14 starts in the fifth event, running a flying 29.55 to defeat Victorian Blue Striker, the noted middle distance galloper finishing a three-quarter length second at his Wentworth Park debut.

In the eighth event, Dual Keroma, a finalist in last year's Golden Easter Egg, continued his great form recording 29.68, while in the ninth race, Rockstar Beav, fastest qualifier for the recent Group 2 Richmond Derby, appreciated the rails alley, scoring in 29.71.

With some seriously talented gallopers hitting their straps at exactly the right time, all is in readiness for a cracking Ladbrokes Golden Easter Egg Carnival at Wentworth Park which gets underway in a little under seven days time.