G1 Moir Stakes a good first-up Choice for Coleman

Coleman will be racing for much more than the $450,000 winner’s purse when he resumes in Saturday’s Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley.

Victory would elevate the three-year-old further up the list of most valuable stud prospects in the country.

He already has appeal, being a Group 3-winning son of boom young stallion Pierata who has also placed in a Golden Slipper and ATC Sires’ at Group 1 level, but the offers would come flooding in if he could win a Group 1 race at 1000 metres.

The weight-for-age Moir, in which he will carry just 52kg, is the first of several Group 1 goals that Mornington trainer Matt Laurie has mapped out for Coleman this spring.

“You’re obviously hoping that they make that progression from two to three-year-old, but the form is looking good with Storm Boy doing really well (last week),” Laurie said.

“This is a great starting point, ultimately we’ll end up at Flemington in the Coolmore, but we’ve got some really nice races to pick through leading up to that.

“He’s a class horse and I just hope he can pick up that Group One at some stage because he certainly deserves it.”

Coleman will join a select group if he can win the Moir, which became a Group 1 race in 2015.

It was a great race for colts in the 1990s, when a Group 2 race run on Cox Plate Day, with Sports Works, Quality Gold, Spartacus and Al Mansour all winning between 1993-97.

Three four-year-old entires have won since – Falvelon (2000), California Dane (2006) and Wild Ruler (2021) – but the only colt to have added his name to the honour roll this century is Extreme Choice, the 2016 winner.

That son of Not A Single Doubt has had his fertility issues at stud, but stands at a fee of $275,000 at Newgate, having thrown Group 1 winners including Golden Slipper champion Stay Inside, VRC Oaks heroine She’s Extreme and Espiona.

Coleman had a second look at The Valley on Tuesday morning when he worked solo over 1000m, covering the last 400m in 24.1 seconds, having trialled twice earlier in the campaign.

The most recent was a fifth placing in a Cranbourne hit-out that also featured Moir Stakes rivals Hayasugi (third) and Johnny Rocker (fourth).

Laurie concedes that pair, I Wish I Win, Estriella and his Golden Slipper conqueror Lady Of Camelot will be hard to beat over 1000m, but he considers it a great start to the campaign.

“Obviously he’ll improve with this under his belt and stepping out to six (furlongs) – there’s no doubt there’s some really sharp horses in this – but as long as we’re closing I think it’s going to serve its purpose,” Laurie said.

“This is a good lead-in to the Manikato, the six furlongs will be what’s going to suit him, but I’m happy to kick off at this level over 1000m.”