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By Graeme White

Clever Art has already captured the Legend Of The South and Gundagai Snake Gully Cup this campaign …..next stop is the $75,000 North Ryde RSL Moruya Cup on Monday.

The mare has more than paid back her cheap purchase price with two feature race wins and is already qualified for The Big Dance or The Little Dance in November.

Leading jockey Jeff Penza has ridden the six-year-old in both wins and is upbeat about her prospects in the feature race.

“She has ticked a lot of boxes already. She has won at Moruya and at the distance and has struck good form for the new stable,” he said.

“She won really well at Moruya the first time I rode her then she was a different horse again when they put the blinkers on her and she won quite convincingly at Gundagai.

“I didn’t ride her next time at Kembla, but she performed well again.”

Penza is the only jockey to ride three consecutive Moruya Cup winners sjnce the 1970s.

He won consecutive years with Ilringya (2011 and 2012) for trainer Luke Pepper then again 12 months later with Fair Nation for Paul Murray.

The prolific winning jockey is sure Clever Art will be right in contention despite the depth in the feature race.

Toes In The Water is the $5 favourite on the NSW TAB ahead of Clever Art ($6.50), Prophets Pride ($7), Bon Frankie ($7), Charlemagne ($8.50) and Smarter Than You ($9).

Clever Art wins Snake Gully Cup

It’s an extremely even feature race which is clearly indicated by the market and the strength of the race where La Sante – a winner of his past two starts – is a $10 chance.

Clever Art collected her owners $48,000 for the Snake Gully Cup, $22,000 for the Legend Of The South and if she wins on Monday a further first prize collect of $35,250.

Penza hopes to replicate the scenes from the Snake Gully Cup.

“The noise levels were lifted at Gundagai with the cheering and it was great to see. I thought there was some drama in the grandstand, but the owners and plenty of others were just really happy,” he said.

“Moruya is a really good track to ride. You can lead or swoop and the club have had some really good racing there.

“Clever Art is in good form and it’s a tough race, but she will give her best.”

Some 2000 racegoers attended the recent Moruya meeting and club officials are expecting a similar number of Monday.

There will be a Calcutta on Sunday night at the Moruya Golf Club where top jockey Tommy Berry will be a guest speaker.

Berry will ride All Machiavellian for Robert and Luke Price in the Cup and also stablemate Headstock in the $50,000 Moruya Mitre 10 Town Plate (1200m).

Fine Vintage is the $4.60 favourite for the feature sprint for in-form duo Luke Pepper and jockey Nick Heywood.

Pepper has prepared several winners since relocating back to Canberra, while Heywood clicked over 53 winners for the season with another double at Wagga on Friday.

Veteran Major Time has drawn wide as he looks to claim the race at start number 58.

He has recorded nine wins and 23 placings during his racing career and trainer Gratz Vella knows he will again put in 100 per cent.

“He gives his best every time and that is all you can ask,” he said.

Trainer Natalie Jarvis has Kattegat ($6) in the sprint and last start winner Napoleon Solo ($26) in the Cup.

She now trains out of Canberra, but called Moruya home for many years.

Jarvis won the Cup in 2020 with Airfree, while last year Zouatica was successful.

His winning jockey Quayde Krogh is presently out with an injury suffered in a pre-race incident at Nowra.

All the fields, form and replays for Monday's Moruya Cup meeting