Trans-Tasman trainer Mike Moroney has enjoyed decades of success with gallopers sourced from his homeland, and he hopes another Kiwi-bred filly can extend his record on Saturday when Coeur Volante contests the Gr.1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield.
“She’s very talented, she could be one of the better ones I’ve trained, I think, as far as the females go and I’ve been lucky enough to have a few good ones,” Moroney told Racing.com.
“On what she’s done and how untapped she is, I’m pretty sure she’s a good chance of being up there with them.”
Moroney believes the filly could have been unbeaten after a tough debut run, which was followed by three consecutive victories, including a perfect lead-up performance scoring in the Gr.2 Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m).
“She was pretty luckless in her first start, I think if things had gone her way, she would have won it and then of course, from then on, she’s been unbeaten,” he said.
“She brings really good form into the race.”
Moroney’s brother Paul sourced the Proisir filly out of the COVID-restricted 2022 Karaka Yearling Sales, where she was secured for $90,000 when presented by Prima Park.
Coeur Volante appeared on New Zealand soil on three occasions when trialling, her final effort giving Moroney and New Zealand-based training partner Pam Gerard confidence to test her abilities across the Tasman.
“We paid $90,000 for her with the idea that we’d start her off in New Zealand, we’d get her here (Flemington), which we do with most of the ones we buy there,” Moroney said.
“Once I saw her have her first trial, I said to Pam then, ‘just give her one more trial and just ride her back off them and then we’d take her across.
“We did that and she stormed home down the outside at Taupo, which is hard to do and ran second under a pretty light ride.
“That was enough to finalise that she was the right one to bring over here.”
Moroney last tasted success in the Group One fillies’ feature with Shizu in 1999, and Coeur Volante has plenty of early support to double his tally currently sitting a $4.20 favourite ahead of Skybird ($4.50) with TAB bookmakers.
“She (Shizu) started off in New Zealand and then came across here and won the Thousand Guineas that year,” he said.
“It would be nice to repeat that dose, it’s going to be 24 years between drinks, but it will be well worth waiting for.”
The 13-strong field includes further Kiwi interest with promising Cambridge Stud-owned fillies Zourion and Joliestar, the former trained by Te Akau Racing’s Mark Walker and currently rates a $14 chance for the Guineas.