Pounding set to tackle the Cranbourne Cup

The Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman stable are banking on the longer the preparation goes the better it will turn out for Pounding.

The five-year-old will line up for the sixth run of the campaign when he contests the Listed Cranbourne Cup (1600m) on Saturday.

Pounding’s current campaign kicked off in the P B Lawrence Stakes at Caulfield in August while his most recent outing was over 1800m at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day.

Judging on Pounding’s campaign last preparation, he is not even halfway through the campaign. His last campaign commenced in July 2022 and ran through to the Australian Cup at Flemington in March for a total of 13 runs.

Coleman said Pounding had been disappointing on face value this time in but added races had not been run to suit the gelding.

She is hoping for a different scenario on Saturday.

“We’ve elected to lower the sights a little bit and get him back winning,” Coleman said.

“At Flemington I think he got there too soon and was left in front and was just bobbing away there and didn’t attack the line with much purpose, so we’ve had a play around and tried to keep him a bit fresher at home and go from there.

“He’s a horse that does thrive on his racing. We space his runs, and he can sustain a long prep.

“He also likes the firm tracks, so this could be coming into a nice time of year for him, hopefully.”

What Coleman does not want to see is the rainfall that is forecast to fall at Cranbourne on Saturday.

The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting between two and 20mm which will not suit Pounding who is better performed on top of the ground.

“Hopefully the rain stays away,” Coleman said.

“But if it does rain, hopefully it will be closer to the two mils, rather than the 20 mils.”