Annabel Neasham has plenty of options to ponder when it comes to last season’s Gr.1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) winner Mo’unga (NZ) (Savabeel).
The Warwick Farm trainer is deliberating over whether to send the Savabeel entire to Melbourne to contest the Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m) or Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m), or stay in his home state to tackle the A$7.5 million Golden Eagle (1500m).
Neasham will let some more water pass under the bridge before making a decision, but she was buoyed by his first-up trial over 1100m at his home track on Monday.
While he finished last behind the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained Quick Thinker in the four-horse field, she was happy enough with his first serious hit-out of his spring preparation.
“Mo’unga doesn’t normally trial all that well, but I thought he trialled very well, for him, yesterday,” Neasham told RSN927.
“It looks to me that he has come back a stronger horse physically. He is ready to kick-off after another couple of gallops.”
Neasham said she has kept all options open for Mo’unga this spring and will let his work dictate what path he takes.
“I am going to keep the Cox Plate and the Golden Eagle as his two options,” she said.
“If he has come back sharper we will probably try and keep him to a maximum of a mile and perhaps go to the Epsom (Gr.1, 1600m) and into the Golden Eagle.
“But if we think he is going to stretch out in trip, then the Caulfield Cup could be an option, as could the Cox Plate.”
Mo’unga sports the colours of Aquis, 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.
