Michael Moroney’s C.F. Orr Stakes winning mare Tofane is the one to beat again returning to the same track and distance as the punters’ pick in the Group 1 $750,000 Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday.
Last start C.F. Orr Stakes winner Tofane is the one to beat in the 2022 Futurity Stakes this weekend. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
The first of three elite level races on the Neds Blue Diamond Stakes Day card, this year’s Futurity Stakes field features a small but quality line-up of eight hopefuls.
After her impressive win fresh in the C.F. Orr when taking a more forward position than usual, six-year-old Ocean Park mare Tofane now heads Futurity Stakes betting at $2.70 and firming through Ladbrokes.com.au.
Her 1400m record is outstanding (6:4-1-1) and she was very good winning the Orr by one and a half-lengths against a bigger and arguably tougher field last time out.
Fitter second-up she is drawn to get the run of the race from barrier three with Mark Zahra retaining the ride in the Futurity and is the deserving and hard to beat favourite.
“She actually hasn’t missed a beat,” Moroney told the Herald Sun this week.
“I had to do a bit of work with her this morning (last Saturday), her first piece of fast work … and she’s flying, really come through (the Orr) in flying colours.
“We felt we made a little bit of a blue in the spring first up and had her probably over ready.
“We got her ready a little bit quieter this time and she was nice and bouncy and fresh, she should take a lot of improvement out of that first up run.”
Black Heart Bart (2017) was the last galloper to do the C.F. Orr – Futurity Stakes double, while two of the last three editions were won by mares with Alizee (2019) and Probabeel (2021).
Tofane is in very good company being a four-time Group 1 winning mare ahead of the Futurity, success in which will see her sit behind only three others in terms of elite level wins since 2012: Winx (25), Verry Elleegant (10) and Black Caviar (8).
“There’s not many mares that have done what she’s done the last 10 years,” Moroney said.
“Win four Group 1s, take on the boys, weight-for-age the lot, and she’s done it in three different states now.”
With the winner of the Futurity Stakes automatically guaranteed a run in next month’s $5 million The All-Star Mile (1600m), Moroney admits they would have to give serious consideration to that March 19 showdown at Flemington should Tofane win this weekend.
“While she’s going like this in the autumn, we have never tried her past 1400m and at some stage we wouldn’t mind trying to get her to the mile,” he said.
“The logical place would be to try and do it here … she would be one of the wildcards I would think, if we decided to go that way, we’re starting to give it a lot of thought.
“We won’t make the decision until after the Futurity but it’s definitely a possibility.”
Two other Futurity Stakes horses are under double-figures to win with I’m Thunderstruck the danger at $3.80 coming off a credible fifth in the C.F. Orr Stakes and the resuming Annabel Neasham-trained Mo’unga ($5) to be ridden by Ms Jamie Kah.
A consistent son of former Melbourne Cup winner Shocking, four-year-old I’m Thunderstruck hit the big time in the spring with victories in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield and the $7.5 million The Golden Eagle (1500m) in Sydney.
His Orr run was full of merit closing very well and he will take lovely improvement off that ahead of the rematch this weekend, where he will continue to build towards The All-Star Mile for which he is already in having been among the Top 10 vote-getters.
Savabeel entire Mo’unga is three-from-four first-up so is a noted fresh flyer and was last seen finishing third to his headlining stablemate Zaaki in Flemington’s Group 1 Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) during the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
He strung together a host of very good Group 1 runs following his first-up win over subsequent Melbourne Cup champion Verry Elleegant in the Winx Stakes at this distance in Sydney last prep including a Makybe Diva second and Cox Plate fourth.
The 2022 Futurity Stakes is set to run as Caulfield Race 6 at 2:45pm (AEDT) on Saturday’s all Black-Type card.
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