Photo: Bradley Photos.
The unbeaten Sister Moon from the Keith Dryden yard will have her mettle tested in Saturday’s Class Three Highway Handicap (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens.
The four-year-old boasts a perfect record, winning a 900m trial at Canberra in June last year before registering her maiden win over 1010m at Moruya in July.
Following a 39-week spell, Sister Moon returned to racing at the Sapphire Coast in March, landing a good win in the 1000m Class One Handicap before making it three from three over the Wagga Carnival, proving a class above her rivals in the 1400m Class Two Handicap.
Tyler Schiller will take the ride on Saturday, with Sister Moon drawn well with gate two, but Dryden believes the race, which will be against some of the best up-and-coming country gallopers across NSW, will soon let connections know what class of horse they have on their hands.
“It’s a strong race, and it will give us a bit of a guide with her,” Dryden said.
“I think she is honest, and I believe that she has been well-placed, and not that I’ve placed her well, but that she has found suitable races on the day.
“She is going well, but it will be tough, and I’m not going there thinking she will be a good thing.”
Sister Moon – by Fighting Sun and out of Pray To god – has continued to improve, but Dryden explained that she was hard to pick early on.
“She’s a professional little racehorse; not overly big, but she’s got a good nature, and she is no trouble around the stable,” Dryden said.
“She does her work and lazes around all day but doesn’t impress you on the training track.
“She got under my guard first up because she isn’t the best worker, but every time I’ve put her in a race and barrier trial, she has performed well.
“Tyler Schiller will ride her on Saturday, and we’ll soon find out how good she is.”
Also racing at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday is the ever-consistent Handle The Truth, which Robbie Dolan will ride from gate 10 in the 1500m Benchmark 88 Handicap,
The seven-year-old put in another stellar effort when finishing fourth to the Mitchel Beer-trained Mnementh in the 2023 Wagga Town Plate earlier this month, and Dryden believes his old stager is capable of another big run.
“He’s going well; he ran a bottler in the Town Plate and got well back and got home hard,” Dryden said.
“If he can repeat that sort of run, he might finish top four or five, but he is a rising eight-year-old, and he’s earned $1.7 million, so he’s done a pretty fair job, and now it’s just a matter of enjoying watching him race.”
The grand country campaigner isn’t nearing retirement, though, with Dryden hinting at a change in his training that might help his chances going forward.
“I don’t think so,” Dryden replied when asked if Handle The Truth will be retired soon.
“There’s nothing wrong with him, and we might have been a bit soft on him, and a couple of tough runs might do him a world of good.
“He had a pretty solid hit out before the Town Plate, and that’s the best he has raced for a while, and we’ll see how this run goes on Saturday, but we might back him up in 10 to 14 days.”
Before heading to Sydney on Saturday, Dryden will unleash a big team of runners at Canberra on Friday, with six in action on the eight-race program.
For Friday’s Canberra fields, click here.
For Saturday’s Rosehill Gardens fields, click here.
