Tommy Berry has steered Savabeel colt Mo’unga (NZ) to victory in the Gr.1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) to give tyro trainer Annabel Neasham her first Group One winner.
Granted her licence at the start of the season, Neasham’s training career has been on an upward spiral since her first runner at Scone last August, with Mo’unga now the stable flag-bearer after coming from well off the pace to claim the Rosehill Guineas.
The $2.90 favourite, Mo’unga had been luckless when runner-up in the Gr.1 Randwick Guineas (1600m) and proved too good when prevailing by a long-head from Sky Lab ($13) with Montefilia ($7) three-quarters-of-a-length away third.
Neasham came from the UK to Australia and initially worked for Gai Waterhouse before joining Ciaron Maher where she headed the Sydney stable for two seasons before branching out on her own.
Neasham described her breakout victory as unbelievable and did admit to concerns with how far back in the run Mo’unga was before the New Zealand bred colt, who became the 23rd individual Group One winner for his sire Savabeel, put on the after-burners.
“He’s always a horse that is sort of mid-field and I thought he might end up a pair further forward than he was,” Neasham said.
“I was worried that he was spotting the leader way too far, but Tommy knew what he was sitting on.
“But that straight took a long time to watch.”
Berry said Neasham does an incredible job with her horses while also praising his father, John, who is a foreman in the stable.
“To be in her first year of training and to put up with that sort of pressure is incredible,” Berry said.
“She’s such a good person to work with. My father is foreman for Annabel as well so well done dad, and I know he does a lot of work with this horse.”
Mo’unga sports the colours of Aquis Farm, who purchased the colt for $325,000 out of the Waikato Stud draft from Book 1 at the 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales.
Out of the O’Reilly mare Chandelier, who was runner-up in the Gr.3 Lowland Stakes (2100m), Mo’unga is another example of the successful Savabeel – O’Reilly cross, which operates at an incredible 14 percent stakes winners to runners.
A minority share-holder in the colt is All Black Richie Mo’unga, after whom the striking galloper derives his name.
An avid rugby fan, Aquis Farm’s Shane McGrath was pleased to involve the rugby star in the ownership, with Richie Mo’unga donating his winning percentages to charity.
“He was a November foal, which was the same time Richie came into the All Blacks team, and Dan Carter, who was another All Black, was part of the team who raced the mother Chandelier,” McGrath said.
Mo’unga becomes the fourth individual Group One winner this season bred by Waikato Stud, following Aegon, Probabeel and Amarelinha.
