Next stop Invercargill Cup for Mo’unga

[Wandering Eyes]

By Michael Guerin

Regan Todd is trying to not be greedy with Mo’unga.

Which means while he could  go Cups crazy chasing both the Invercargill and Auckland Cups in the next 17 days he probably won’t.

Mo’unga won “an afterthought” race at Addington on Friday night and it was a pretty nice afterthought, the East West Fencing Summer Cup being worth a cool $40,000.

He worked forward early to wrest the lead off Franco Marek and never looked in danger of defeat, cruising his last 800m in 55 seconds.

“We were going to the Geraldine Cup last week but had to scratch him so we only went for this race because I wanted to give him a run before Invercargill next week,” says Todd.

“It couldn’t have worked out better and we will head there next week as it has been one of his big goals all campaign.”

With 11 days between the Invercargill Cup and the Auckland Cup and the plane between Christchurch and Auckland, Todd knows he can try both.

“It is possible so we will see how well he goes at Invercargill and we don’t need to, and probably can’t, make a decision until after then.

“But he would need to go great at Invercargill and to be honest it would still be hard to see him winning the Auckland Cup just yet.

“So I’d say he will be more likely to go Invercargill then Omakau because there are some really nice Cup races down here without having to go north.”

Also heading to Invercargill on Friday will be Todd’s other winner on Friday night in Lakelsa, who overcame a flat tyre to win Race 2 by four-and-a-half lengths.

“She has been going good races behind the likes of Princess Meritaten so this looked ideal for her.

“And there is a $25,000 race for her next Friday.”

Friday’s double continued a great 2024 for Todd with 42 wins and career best stakes won, headlined of course by the mighty juvenile Marketplace.

“He has had a couple of weeks off and has two or three more to go then we will start working him down towards Auckland.

“He has three good races up there in March and April and we are looking forward to getting him up there.”

The other feature race winner out of Addington was Freya, who was too slick for the older mares in the Peak Exhibition Trot, showing the depth of that Keayang Zahara form after having run just out of the placings behind her recently.

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