Mo’unga secures NZ Cup berth

Mo’unga(NZ) (Bettor’s Delight) has secured a berth into November’s Group One New Zealand Trotting Cup (3200m) following his harness racing victory in Friday’s Group Three Allied Security Maurice Holmes Vase (2600m) at Addington Raceway.

The six-year-old gelding stepped away well from behind the 10m tape and driver Robbie Close elected to settle his charge towards the rear of the pack.

Close bided his time and elected to leave Mo’unga for one run, asking him to improve three-wide with 400m to go. The son of Bettor’s Delight was the widest runner turning for home and showed a good turn of foot to reel in leader Franco Marek (NZ) (A Rocknroll Dance) to win by a neck.

The victory guaranteed Mo’unga a start in the New Zealand Cup, a race he finished sixth in last year, which trainer and part-owner Regan Todd said takes the pressure off his spring campaign.

“It wasn’t a pretty watch but Goose (Close) knew what he was doing,” Todd said. “To run third or fourth I would have been happy, but to win is great.

“We get to choose where we go now.

“We will be able to give a few (races) a miss now. We will take a bit of a different path and he can have a bit of a freshen-up and go on the water-walker for a few weeks.

“We will keep him ticking over without having to race the guts out of him.”

Bred by Braedan and Caroline Whitelock, Mo’unga is out of their four-time Group One winner O’Baby.

MO’UNGA REPLAY

He was offered through Breckon Farms’ 2020 NZB Standardbred National Yearling Sale draft at Karaka where he was purchased by Phil and Glenys Kennard for $100,000.

He has gone on to win 12 of his 33 starts, including four at Group level, and he was runner-up behind Republican Party in April’s Group One NZ Messenger (2700m).

From NZB Standardbred