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| Sumita Pawar |
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Fresh off his victory in the prestigious Gr.1 Qatar Nassau Stakes, Roger Varian wasted no time in securing another win with Mission To Moon in the Jaeger-LeCoultre Nursery. Mission To Moon had previously finished second in two of his three starts, and for his handicap debut, he had a rating of 81. The race took place on the slowest ground he had encountered so far.
Under the guidance of jockey David Egan, the King Power Racing-owned horse positioned himself well throughout the race. Once switched to the outside, Mission To Moon exhibited incredible power and determination, crossing the finish line three lengths ahead of his competitors.
Surging Gamraan Steals Second
Despite starting from the rear, Gamraan (28/1) displayed a strong finish and managed to secure second place. The favorite, Gray's Inn (13/8), who had a significant weight advantage after his fourth-place finish in a Listed race at Sandown the previous week, settled for third place.
Varian said, “Mission To Moon has been a work in progress, and was very green on debut. He didn't really do himself justice but ran fine the last twice. In those small-runner novice fields he had to make the running twice and just got passed by one with more experience on each occasion.
"I thought he would run well today and the festival set-up would suit him with a big field and strong pace. He was able to get a good position, but not lead, and David gave him a nicely timed ride and the horse got through the ground okay and was strong through the line.
"The Goffs Million is definitely something to think about, but we have no big plan and I was encouraged by the way he handled the ground. For any autumn races we won't have to be shy about soft ground and hopefully, he can keep progressing.”
Egan said, “Mission To Moon is a horse who definitely relished the testing conditions today. He has raced on quicker surfaces but I think that is his preferred surface. Coming into the autumn now, he should benefit from the ground having a bit of ease in it.
“I had a nice draw in six, luckily for me the boss is pretty open to how I ride them – I’m riding them on instinct a lot of the time. I thought they went a nice gallop in front, but he is a horse who doesn’t do anything quickly, so I was glad I was able to sit one off the fence so that I could angle out nice and early. He didn’t do anything too quick from the three to the two, but once we got inside the two-furlong pole, he stayed on well. He is probably a horse who could get a mile.”