Mike Moroney has bigger a battle on his hands than the one facing War Machine this weekend, but the in-form gelding has a chance to lift his trainer’s spirits with a feature victory at Bendigo.
The three-year-old son of Harry Angel will chase a third-straight win in the $200,000 Listed Bendigo Guineas (1400m).
Moroney was last weekend hospitalised with health issues that will see him receive continued treatment and be away from the stable for ‘a few weeks’.
Moroney’s Ballymore Stables this week released a statement confirming the Melbourne Cup-winning trainer would require a period of convalescence, while reassuring owners their horses were still in good hands.
“Both of our stables in Australia and New Zealand will remain fully operational with long-term racing manager Anthony Feroce and assistant trainer Glen Thompson leading the stable at Flemington, while in New Zealand, Pam Gerard will continue to manage our Matamata base,” the statement read.
“We are extremely fortunate to have such experience leading our stables, who know Mike’s systems well. It’s business as usual.”
General Firepower confirmed as much when he scored an impressive victory at Pakenham on Thursday night.
Moroney pointed War Machine towards the Bendigo Guineas after a dominant five-length win in a 1300m Class 1 at Cranbourne on March 29.
That victory followed a convincing maiden win over 1225m at Kyneton on March 7, which was his first start since a late-winter campaign that included a debut third placing at Geelong before an unplaced effort at Sandown.
Declan Bates, who has ridden War Machine in all four starts has surrendered the Bendigo Guineas ride to Jordan Childs owing to his commitment to ride Pride Of Jenni in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick, was full of praise for War Machine after the Cranbourne win.
“He’s always shown nice ability, I think in his first prep he was just quite babyish and not quite doing it right,” Bates said.
“He’s actually still got a quite a bit of rawness about him, but he’s a just a lovely, athletic animal and he’s only going to keep improving.”
War Machine occupies the $5 second line of betting on the Bendigo Guineas, for which Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained filly Roll On High is the $3.20 favourite with betting apps.
War Machine is one of two Bendigo runners for Moroney, who also has $34 chance Ceasar engaged in the 1600m Immix Metal Recycled Right BM70 that is the fourth race on the card.