Pedro bred to be a Cup winner

Darryl Sherer - Wednesday February 21

Wednesday's impressive Caulfield winner Pedro Ximenez is certainly bred to be a Cup winner.

The lightly-raced son of High Chaparral made it three wins from 10 starts with a strong win in the Moorookyle Park Handicap over 2400m, finishing too well to score after a slow start.

Trainer Mike Moroney's brother Paul purchased Pedro Ximenez for $150,000 from the Three Bridges draft at the 2015 Inglis Premier Sale at Oaklands.Pedro Ximenez

"It was a good effort as he lost five lengths at the start," Moroney said.

"Then it was made harder for him when they slackened the tempo and he had to make a long searching run.

"That said he just kept coming in the straight and I think he's going to get two miles eventually.

Advertisement

"He's a High Chaparral out of a half-sister to Viewed – I think he's 12 months away but he's a nice stayer in the making I think.

"He's a big raw-boned horse and we've taken our time with him, I think he's got another win in him this preparation but he's still a way from reaching his best."

High Chaparral sired last year's Melbourne Cup winner Rekindling and the 2010 Caulfield Cup winner Descarado while Viewed (Scenic) won the 2008 Melbourne and Brisbane Cups and the 2009 Caulfield Cup.

Further back and Pedro Ximenez's fourth dam Mountain Heights (Rocky Mountain) is a half-sister to Battle Heights, winner of the Sydney and Wellington Cups and a Cox Plate.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Kiwi Bred Good Banter Finds Winning Form
Four-year-old mare Good Banter was back in the winner’s circle when narrowly prevailing in the Catanach's Jewellers Handicap (2000m) at Rosehill on Saturday for trainers John O’Shea and Tom Charlton.
Flemington Victory for Tarzino Mare
Quirky but talented mare Miss Tarzy has come from last win the Leilani Series Final (1400m) under a patient Jett Stanley ride.
Pride’s Outsider Estadio Mestalla Wins Winter Stakes
The lone stakes race on Rosehill’s ten-race card on Saturday saw Joe Pride’s race outsider Estadio Mestalla (Galileo Gold) take out the $200,000 Listed ATC Winter Stakes (1400m) in a boilover.
Buccleuch - First Stakes-Winner for Peltzer
The $175,000 Listed VRC Taj Rossi Series Final (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday was won back in 2020 by Cherry Tortoni, who went to on to become a multiple Group winner of nearly $1million and the same colours were carried by this year’s winner Buccleuch.
Invincible 2YO Colt wins for Bennett Racing
The $150,000 VRC Next Gen Sprinters Series Final (1200m) for two year-olds at Flemington on Saturday drew a competitive field of progressive juveniles and the colt that stood out on type in the yard was the one that got the cash with I Am Invincible colt Jimmy Recard proving too good for race favourite Bacash.
Snitzel Filly Bridal Waltz Wins A.R. Creswick Stakes
While many felt the winner of Saturday’s Listed $175,000 VRC A.R. Creswick Stakes (1200m) had raced two weeks prior in the Shop Flemington Handicap (1100m) – and they would’ve been correct – but it was not the result many punters felt it would be!
Marble Nine Brings Up Second Stakes Winner For Aquis’ Kobayashi
The withdrawal of the top weight in Saturday’s $175,000 Listed VRC Santa Ana Lane Sprint Series Final (1200m) at Flemington saw the field down to just six, with Marble Nine continuing his outstanding recent form to secure his first black type victory.
Invincible 3YO Wins G3 Winx Guineas
The $300,000 Group III Winx Guineas (1600m) at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday featured a big field of 16 up and comers and following the late scratching of favourite Mister Bianco, Angela Jones took luck out of the equation on I Am Invincible gelding The Three Hundred.
One to Watch – Ballarat
Synthetic track meetings at Ballarat can throw up some misleading form, but a debut winner from the Tony and Calvin McEvoy stable that started in the red and won by nine lengths is probably worth a closer look.
Spring Potential for Darby Racing's Raging Force
Unplaced in the Group III ATC Breeders’ Plate last spring on debut, Raging Force came out of that race with an injury that required significant time on the sidelines, but since returning to full work his progress has been swift.