Guineas stepping stone to Derby

rainer Peter Moody is lamenting the lack of suitable three-year-olds races that is likely to force two potential stayers to the Australian Guineas. 

Victorious Spirit and Bingi are nominated for the 1600m Group 1 race at Flemington on Saturday along with a benchmark 66 race over the same trip at Cranbourne on Friday night, against older horses. 

The Cranbourne contest would see the Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained pair be forced to carry 61.5kg and 60kg respectively should they head in that direction, but Moody said Saturday's contest was the more logical way to go. 

"I probably don't need to be butting heads with those horses but it's the race that will take me to where I want him to be and Bingi is a bit the same," Moody said. 

"I'm nearly forced to run them because there's no three-year-old race at a mile on a Wednesday meeting, or anything like that, and really there's only the Guineas, and if you want to go to 2000 (metres) at your next start, it doesn't help. 

"He (Victorious Spirit) went well first-up and there may be worse than him there, but it would be nice to find something easier, and it would be cheaper than running in a Group 1. 

"Hopefully he can finish in the top five to pay for the day." 

The Australian Guineas has attracted 12 nominations and sees Observer and Planet Red, who finished one-two in the Autumn Stakes (1400m) with Victorious Spirit in third place, among nominations along with impressive C S Hayes at Flemington winner Sixties. 

Moody has Australian Derby aspirations for Victorious Spirit but concedes the race may come up too soon for the son of Ghaiyyath, who is also the sire of Victoria Derby winner Observer, while the co-trainer said Bingi was also looking for 2000m. 

"He's the right horse for the Derby, but whether he's mature enough," Moody said of Victorious Spirit. 

"We've got three Derbies still left, so there's a chance he could run in one of them. 

"The Australian Derby is the only one I haven't won. 

"I've won over in Perth, I've won the Northern Territory Derby as an owner, I've won in Tasmania, I've won a few in Queensland, as well Victoria and South Australia. 

"I've been placed in the Australian Derby, so it's an itch I want to scratch."