Champion trainer Ciaron Maher is assembling a powerful battalion of stayers to fight off the international raiders in next Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup and produced the trifecta in the $750,000 Group II MVRC Moonee Valley Gold Cup (2500m) at Flemington on Saturday.
Leading the way was in-form stayer Juja Kibo (IRE), who proved the strength of his last start win in the $1million Group II ATC The Metropolitan in Sydney.
Ridden by Sam Clipperton, who has been on him in every start this campaign, Juja Kibo surged hard down the outside with his stablemates and had a half length advantage over King’s Valley (IRE) at the line with Mr Monaco (GB) a close third.
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The Moonee Valley Gold Cup carried the last of the 10 ballot free exemptions into the Melbourne Cup and six of those races have been run in Victoria with Maher making full use of them to secure Cup starts for Point of Law (GB), Mr Monaco (GB), Shockletz(NZ) and now Juja Kibo (IRE).
Maher also has Saint George (GB), Middle Earth (GB) and Royal Supremacy (IRE) in the race while Zahrann (IRE) sits just outside the top 24 on order of entry.
Maher was happy with all of his runners in the Moonee Valley Cup and praised Sam Clipperton for his work with Juja Kibo.
"Sam, since he's come back from his break, he's done a lot of work for the stable and he asked if he could ride him," Maher said.
"He said he would make the weight, and he had been galloping him and knew how good he was going.
"He won the race (The Metropolitan) and asked if he could come down here.
"I spoke to the owners, he had a night out with them up there I think, and that sealed the deal, but they were all on board, and since his last run, Sam rode him, and said he's improved again.
"He was fantastic. To come off a slow speed and show such a good turn of foot, carrying a decent amount of weight, it was a pretty good win."
Juja Kibo was bought privately after winning a maiden at Ballinrobe in Ireland at his second start and the son of Belardo has made improvement with every campaign in Australia with this victory his second stakes win.
He has the overall record of six wins and nine placings from just 20 starts, so is very much a young stayer on the up.
Juja Kibo s the best of six winners from eight foals to race from Na Zdorovie, a winning half-sister to Group II winner Slim Shadey from the family of Hong Kong Horse of the Year Bullish Luck.
The pedigree does not scream marathon stayer, but you can’t knock what he’s done to date and he is career best form going to his grand final.
