Caballus stakes G1 claims in style in 2025 George Moore Stakes
The northern raid by Sydney trainer Bjorn Baker proved worthwhile when Caballus delivered a powerhouse victory in the Group 3 George Moore Stakes at Doomben.
Caballus, well supported at $5.50, stormed clear to score by three lengths in what proved a strong endorsement of his Melbourne Cup Carnival form heading into the 1200-metre feature.
Tommy Berry guided him to a slick 1:07.95—just shy of Jonker’s long-standing course record.
“It didn’t work out exactly the way we envisaged,” stable representative Jim Clarke said.
“I think Tommy wanted to follow a couple (of runners) but he jumped well and found the lead fairly easily.
“He won at Flemington during the carnival and I think Bjorn has pretty big aspirations for him possibly in the autumn and back here in the winter.
“Maybe even a race like the Stradbroke would be ideal for him.”
Berry echoed that the early tempo shaped his tactics.
“Last place we expected to be was in the lead up you’ve got to ride the horse the way he jumps,” Tommy Berry said.
“He flew the gates and I thought there’d be a lot more speed in the race but I think the others were having a bit of a look at each other so I thought I might as well take it up.
“I was surprised during the week that he wasn’t favourite. He was the best horse in the race.”
Pereille ($9) finished best of the rest, with Cosmic Fire ($14) earning third.
Meanwhile, star three-year-old Grafterburners ($1.65 fav) scraped home in the Pierata Plate (1200m), leaving trainer Kelly Schweida deliberating between a tilt at the $3 million The Sunlight (1100m) or the Group 3 Vo Rogue Plate (1350m).
Punters can follow Caballus and Grafterburners through the summer at Australia’s leading betting sites.
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