Mike Moroney gets his chance with a Pendragon in Australian Guineas

Mike Moroney is not shocked connections had to tinker with the name of his classy three-year-old who will make his Australian debut this Saturday at Flemington.

The son of U S Navy Flag had seven starts in New Zealand as Pendragon, but will race as The Pendragon in the $1 million Group 1 Australian Guineas.

The Australian studbook lists three earlier versions of horses called Pendragon, including one trained by Bart Cummings who won a Gloaming Stakes and Norman Robinson Stakes, finished second in the Spring Champion Stakes and ran fourth as favourite in the 2005 Victoria Derby.

Moroney remembers that Pendragon vividly given a connection with the family.

“I trained that horse’s mother, Alacrity, and I won a New Zealand Oaks with her, so I do remember him,” Moroney said.

The horse Australians know as The Pendragon is no relation and boats a pedigree that is a mix of Northern Hemisphere speed and European stoutness.

U S Navy Flag was bred in America, a son of War Front and the Galileo mare Misty For Me, but was trained by Aidan O’Brien in Ireland, and won the Middle Park Stakes (1207m) and Dewhurst Stakes (1408m) before claiming the July Cup (1207m) at three.

The Pendragon’s dam Kerre counts winners of the Arc De Triomphe and Epsom Derby among her relations.

Kerre, a daughter of Pour Moi, is out of the Green Tune mare Double Green whose dam Green Bend is a half-sister to prolific producer Brooklyn’s Dance, whose progeny includes 2012 Arc De Triomphe (2400m) winner Solemia.

Green Bend is also the dam of Funsie (by Saumarez), who did not race but produced Authorized (Montjeu), winner of the 2007 Epsom Derby (2414m) and sire of several Group 1 winners, including Hartnell.

The Pendragon was part of Book 2 at the 2022 Karaka Yearling Sale, which was held in March due to Covid, meaning Moroney was unable to attend, which left his brother Paul to secure him for NZ$110,000.

“Paul selected him, but I had a look at him online – I had a good look at him walk and parade – and he just looked a nice horse, so we purchased him,” Moroney said.

“It’s quite a deep staying family further back, there’s an Arc winner in there, so you always expected that he’d get the mile all right.”

Moroney needed some convincing after his first two starts in the tartan colours of owners Hugh Fletcher and Dame Sian Elias, which produced fourth placings in the second half of his two-year-old season, after which he was gelded.

He ran 10th at his first start at three but then strung together three wins, culminating with victory over Guineas rival Quintessa in the Group 2 Auckland Guineas (1400m) on Boxing Day.

“We had to geld him because he wanted to do it in one breath and rip and tear as a two-year-old and wouldn’t quite finish it off – he just wanted to overrace and sweat up and carry on,” Moroney said.

“So we had to stop and geld him and from the time we did that and gave him a bit of a break, he came back a totally different horse.”

The Pendragon’s only start since his Auckland Guineas win was his first go at 1600m, in the Karaka Millions 3YO on January 27, when he beat home all bar star filly Orchestral.

That was clockwise at Ellerslie and Moroney said he would be more comfortable the Melbourne way of racing.

“He does most of his work left-handed at Matamata, his win at Te Rapa (three starts ago) was good left-handed and he just looks far better to us going left-handed,” Moroney said.

Moroney gave The Pendragon an 1100m jumpout at Werribee on February 19, which led and won in comfortable style.

“He only stayed back a week after the Karaka race and then flew in, so he’s had a nice opportunity to settle in,” Moroney said.

“I did the same thing with Couer Volante, brought her over and gave her time to settle, so decided to also do that with him.”

Jordan Childs has been called up for the Guineas ride on The Pendragon with the pair likely to start from barrier 13.

With The Pendragon a gelding, prizemoney is his main objective this weekend but there will be associated benefits for the Moroneys, who gave a hint to the opinion they had of The Pendragon when they paid $70,000 for his younger half-sister, who has been named Zerre, last year.

Kerre is owned by Brett McDonald, the father of champion jockey James McDonald, and he last year offered her third foal, a colt by Time Test, who sold for $220,000. Kerre also has a Satono Aladdin colt at foot and was served by Profondo last spring.