Mo’unga (NZ) (Savabeel) is a name sports fans were cheering long before the unbeaten horse of the same name, who is one of the leading fancies for Saturday’s Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m), hit the racetrack.
Richie Mo’unga is a hero to many rugby-mad New Zealanders due to his deeds with the All Blacks, who will be in action against the Wallabies in the Bledisloe Cup on Sunday.
He burst onto the scene around the same time a son of Savabeel and the O’Reilly mare Chandelier, who has All Black connections, was foaled at Waikato Stud in New Zealand, which made him easy to name.
Especially considering he is trained by Chris Waller, having completed his early education under another Kiwi, Kacy Fogden.
“He’s got a great presence and a real physique about him and when we got him home, our team, led by Kacy Fogden, said he was tough and was a quick learner,” Aquis Farm’s Shane McGrath said of the $325,000 Karaka Yearling Sale purchase.
“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.
“It was a nice fit and hopefully he can do the name justice.”
That hasn’t proven a problem to date, with Mo’unga winning his only three starts; a 1400-metre 2YO Gold Coast maiden on June 12, a Newcastle BM64 over the same trip on August 22 and the Listed Dulcify Quality (1500m) at Rosehill three weeks later.
Mo’unga, the rugby player, now has even more reasons to want to see the horse win. He is now a listed owner in Mo’unga, who will contribute to a cause that is dear to his heart with Aquis committing to donate a portion of his earnings to the rugby star’s chosen charity.
“The horse was getting a cult following in New Zealand, given his name and the fact anything to do with the All Blacks draws plenty of attention over there, so we got chatting to Richie – who was honoured to have the horse named after him – and invited him into the ownership,” McGrath said.
“Richie and his wife Sophie, they’re ambassadors for the Child Cancer Foundation in New Zealand, so I spoke to the owners (of Aquis), which is primarily Mr Fung and a couple of friends in Hong Kong, and we’re going to donate a percentage of his winning prizemoney for each of his races going forward to the Child Cancer Foundation in New Zealand.”
Only the three majors in the Melbourne spring – the Melbourne Cup ($7.75m), Caulfield Cup ($5m) and Cox Plate ($5m) – are worth more than the $2m Caulfield Guineas, which carries a $1.2m winner’s purse.
He earned his shot at Guineas glory with Dulcify Quality victory and while the expectation immediately after that was that he would head to another G1 race this Saturday – the 2000-metre Spring Champion Stakes in Sydney – McGrath said the Guineas always shaped as a more likely target for the colt.
“He’d been pigeon-holed as a Spring Champion Stakes horse by virtue of his profile and his pedigree, but on all his work at home, in our mind it was, was he a Golden Rose or Caulfield Guineas horse,” McGrath said.
“Chris Waller has got a great record with taking these Sydney colts to Caulfield and I was happy to go with Chris and his team once the decision was made and hopefully it pays off on Saturday.”
Mo’unga spent time at the head of Guineas betting after it was announced he was heading that way but was a $7 equal third elect in Sportsbet’s market on race eve.
Mo’unga, who will be ridden by Damien Oliver, is one of two horses who will carry the Aquis colours in the Guineas, with Michael Dee to also sport them aboard the only other New Zealand-bred horse in the race, Tavistock colt Captain Corelli ($61).
