Four-time Group 1 winner Treasurethe Moment will be among the star attractions in next month’s $750,000 Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield, with Mornington trainer Matt Laurie confirming her intended starting point.
Laurie was at Caulfield Heath trials on Thursday morning to witness Treasurethe Moment and Group 1-winning stablemate Vinrock have their most significant gallops this preparation.
Treasurethe Moment contested the opening 1000-metre trial, finishing third behind tearaway all-the-way winner Nervous Witness, a five time winner in Hong Kong, now with the Lindsay Park team that has not raced since October 2024.
The Alabama Express mare started her four-year-old season by winning the Group 1 Stow Storage Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield last August, and trainer Matt Laurie indicated a comparable preparation is being followed.
Matt Laurie, trainer of Treasurethe Moment:
“She will have one more trial and then we’ll be away. She’ll be here for the Futurity (first up) and will have a replica lead-in as to what she had ahead of the Memsie – hopefully we can get a similar result.
“I love the way she left the gates, she showed her customary speed away, she settled nicely and her action looked great. The feedback from Damian (Lane) was really good.
“I’d like to keep her in Melbourne for the All-Star Mile, she races so well at Flemington, second up over the mile is perfect.
“After that, we’ll play it by ear. I’m not hellbent on getting her to Sydney but if she’s jumping out of the ground and everything looks positive we’ll do it. But otherwise, we’ll have a very light campaign, and we’ll keep her sort of fresh for the spring.”
Vinrock also trialled over 1000 metres in the second heat of the morning, finishing fourth of five starters, with Laurie suggesting the colt is not as forward in condition as Treasurethe Moment.
Matt Laurie, trainer of Vinrock:
“Vinrock was fine. They’ve only had a couple of improving gallops and she (Treasurethe Moment) gets away with it because she’s a natural athlete. He’s a large colt so he was always going to be a bit soft late but the feedback was positive from Damian (Lane).
“He’s going to need a fair bit of work thrown at him before he goes back to the races. We haven’t quite mapped out what we’re going to do with him just yet but in an ideal world he’s tackling some races in Sydney.”
Champion sprinter Giga Kick continued preparations for the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) at Flemington on February 14, producing a strong piece of work at Caulfield Heath and crossing the line alongside heat winner My Gladiola.
Giga Kick’s trainer Clayton Douglas said jockey Ethan Brown was pleased with how the six-year-old performed in a heat that also included three younger stakes winners.
Clayton Douglas, trainer of Giga Kick:
“Ethan (Brown) said that he began well, travelled nice and strong and finished off lovely.”
“That will bring him on now, there’s two weeks before the Lightning and that will be perfect timing for him. He won first up last prep (in the Schillaci) off one trial and we’re going in with the same idea.
“He’s been terrific this preparation, he’s come off a short layoff with only two runs so he’s pretty fresh and well in himself. We’ve kept him together and he’s moving terrific, they’ll know he’s in a race first up.
“He’s likely to head up to Sydney after the Lightning, probably run in the Challenge Stakes over 1000 metres second up then into the T.J. Smith third up. All going well his fourth up run could be the All Aged Stakes.”
My Gladiola may clash with Giga Kick in the Black Caviar Lightning, with trainer John McArdle favouring the weight-for-age sprint down the Flemington straight over the Group 1 Sportsbet Oakleigh Plate (1100m) under handicap conditions seven days later.
John McArdle, trainer of My Gladiola:
“It’s the only trial she’s had (this preparation) so she needed it. Jamie (Mott) said that he was happy with how she switched off during the trial. She quickened down good then sort of got to the front, floated and started to knock up a little bit.
“That’s what we wanted to see. She’ll have a couple more gallops over the next couple of weeks before we’ll accept for the Lightning.”
“We’ll accept for the Lightning and if we’re not happy, we’ll scratch and go to the Oakleigh Plate. But at this stage, as long as she comes through the trial well, we’ll head to the Lightning.
“She’s a very effective horse down the straight (at Flemington) and just the way she races, it can be a little bit tricky for her at Caulfield if we don’t get the right gate, as has been the case before.”
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