Latest News

By Graeme White

Quality mare One Aye ($11 on TAB) has already earned close to $450,000 and will commence a new campaign as a rising eight-year-old in the Penrite Benchmark 82 (1300m) at Moruya on Thursday.

At an age when many mares are retired, One Aye still has plenty to offer as she kicks off with a career record of seven wins and 13 placings from 48 starts.

She faces a big drop in grade from her latest assignment in the $250,000 Group 3-Angst Stakes where she finished last and was sent for a break.

One Aye (Reece Jones) heads to the barriers at Royal Randwick. Image by Bradley Photographers

One Aye commenced her career in May of 2020 beating only one rival to the finish, but that mediocre start is a distant memory for her owners.

She has improved with maturity as indicated last July when she won a $160,000 Sydney Saturday class race on a heavy track.

One Aye, who will be ridden by apprentice jockey Glenn Cahill which will reduce her weight to 61kg, has contested several Country Cups proving her owners with some invaluable highlights.

She won the 2022 Forbes Cup and has been placed in the Moruya Cup, Narrandera Cup, Albury Mile, Canberra Cup and ran fourth in last year’s Bega Cup at the Sapphire Coast.

The same race is likely to be her next race target on Sunday 2 February for the 150th running of the Sapphire Coast feature.

It’s not only One Aye, but younger sister Two Aye ($11) who will have a presence at Moruya. Two Aye, a winner two starts ago at Canberra over 1600m, will start in the Cleanaway Benchmark 66 (2000m).

Meanwhile, One Aye is a first-up winner, but her record indicates she is best suited to 1400 up to 2000m.

And if consistency wins then it could be Laurel Hill ($9) who could show up fresh. Laurel Hill has only raced seven times for trainer Rob Potter for two wins, three placings a fourth and a fifth.

“She is tremendous first-up and has come back better and stronger,” he said. “She is great on rain-affected tracks so she has the right conditions fresh.”

Potter will also saddle up newcomer Blow In ($17) which last raced in South Australia in July. Blow In has won three races at Sandown and another at Geelong when prepared by leading trainer Phillip Stokes.

Potter said Blow In would be improved by his first race start in six months: “His form says he has quality, but he is still a bit of an unknown,” he said.

“His rating says he should be a nice country class horse. I want to see how he goes then line him up at Canberra in early February on a day where we have our stable raceday.”

La Sante ($9.50) has race fitness on his side and his last start eye-catching fourth after consecutive victories showed he is the horse to beat. Prepared by the new training combination of Keith Dryden and Libby Snowden, La Sante could be their first winner.

Meanwhile, track specialists Felix Pereon ($4.80), Fourth Spargo ($3.90) and Princeston ($5) could fill the trifecta in the Malt Man Brewing Benchmark 66 (1010m). Felix Pereon has won three of his five starts, Princeton two of three and Fourth Spargo two of five at Moruya.

Fourth Spargo will race in blinkers for the first time and narrowly beat home Princeston the last time they raced against each other. Fourth Spargo has raced five times for trainer Mark Gee since joining his team and they have all been at Moruya where he has been effective and also on soft going.

View the final fields with full form & race replays for Moruya here