Moe’s Secret is out in Clifford Stewart Mem Cup
Moe’s Secret, running as she likes it from in front, won the $462,000 Clifford Stewart Memorial Cup highlighter by 2 1/2 lengths at Caymanas Park on Wednesday.
Owner/trainer Maurice Crooks claimed Moe’s Secret out of her previous race on March 9 for a claiming tag of $350,000 and promptly dropped the filly to a $250,000 tag where she is comfortable.
The four-year-old filly then showed her appreciation for the move down the claiming scale and ran 1,200 metres in a time of 1:15.4 to break a lean spell which stretched back to her previous 11 starts.
Ridden by leading jockey Omar Walker, Moe’s Secret was sent in chase of the early leader Galactus, a 7-2 bet ridden by claiming apprentice Kuri Powell, and was ahead in a flash well inside the first 100 metres.
Walker then held her up enough to have a narrow lead as Galactus and Lovetta Jones another 7-2 bet ridden by Trevor Simpson kept in close touch.
Lovetta Jones and Simpson made a sharp move leaving the 600 metres on the outside, but Moe’s Secret was game and brought them in the lane for the stretch drive and kept on going.
When Moe’s Secret increased the pace in the stretch drive, Galactus faded out of the picture altogether along the rails while the well fancied Lovetta Jones continued the chase to finish second.
Rivers Of Babylon, the 19-1 chance who was a winner on last in the class below, came on strongly to be a neck away third under Jevvanne Erwin, while Fearless Babe completed the frame as a 14-1 betting option partnered by Devon A Thomas in the field of nine.
Moe’s Secret, by Dayton Flyer out of Sabatini (Texas Prospector) bred by Lorenzo Robinson, was winning for the third time from 27 career starts and earned $252,250 as the winner’s share for earnings of $1,886,050 lifetime.
On one of the more competitive programmes for some time at the Park, veteran conditioner Noel Ennevor saddled two winners to take training honours with Light Brigade in the third with Paul Francis astride and Eastwood in the fifth. Walker and Richard Mitchell also rode two winners each to share the riding spotlight. , who was aboard Eastwood for , logged a quick double by following up in the sixth race with the 7-2 chance Official Report, for owner/trainer/breeder Carl Anderson. Walker’s other winner was Western Rose for trainer Gary Subratie in the fourth race.