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By Ray Hickson

Trainer Annabel Neasham has made it her mission to add as many Group 1s to Mo’unga’s record as she can before he retires and that journey starts at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

Trainer Annabel Neasham (Pic: Grant Guy)

The five-year-old will sport the Newhaven Park colours for the first time in the Group 1 $750,000 Winx Stakes (1400m) as he aims to go back-to-back and Neasham said she can’t fault his build up.

“He’s always been a really straightforward horse in the stable and he’s had a seamless preparation until now,’’ she said.

“I’m looking forward to getting there and defending his title.

“The aim with him is to win Group 1s, every Group 1 he lines up in he’ll be aiming to win and he’ll be competitive.”

Newhaven Park bought into Mo’unga, whose Group 1 wins are the Rosehill Guineas at three and last year’s Winx Stakes, prior to his last run of the autumn in the All Aged Stakes back in April.

“It’d be great to win a Group 1 in those colours that have carried a lot of good horses to Group 1 success,’’ Neasham said.

“Hopefully Mo’unga can add to that and he’s going to stand at stud there once he’s finished his career.”

It’s worth discussing the latest trial where the entire finished last of 10 behind Best Of Bordeaux at Rosehill on August 10.

After travelling midfield, Neasham said Mo’unga had to be checked by jockey Tommy Berry when the horse went over one of the cones placed to direct the horses away from the inside of the course proper.

She said there was no harm done and the only thing it affected was his finishing position in the gallop.

“I don’t think the cones were put out quite right, Nash moved in and Tommy was following Nash and they went straight over the cone,’’ she said.

“I didn’t want him to do much, he trialled very well in his first trial back and he’d had a couple of good gallops so it was just a leg stretch.”

Mo'unga, $6.50 with TAB on Thursday, is a proven fresh performer having won the Winx first-up last spring and finishing a closing second in the Futurity Stakes (both over 1400m) in the autumn.

From barrier two Neasham said he should have his chance to produce his best.

“Tommy knows him so well, it’s always tempo related as to where he is in the run,’’ she said.

“More often than not he draws wide so it’s nice to draw a gate with him for once. You’re doing less work from there than from a wide gate.”

While he stretched out to 2000m last spring, Neasham is open minded about where Mo’unga heads this time around with the weather the only factor that will influence her.

“I think he’s come back a bit sharper and a bit stronger, he’s the sort of horse you can peak a few times,’’ she said.

“I don’t think he likes it bottomless so we will be guided a bit by the weather as to where he goes.”

Mo'unga's first trial at Rosehill on July 29

Mumbai Jewel begins her path towards a Group 1 spring test when she tackles a smart field of fillies in the Group 2 $250,000 Darley Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m).

Neasham said she feels the Group 3 placed filly doesn’t need to improve a whole lot into her three-year-old season to be more than competitive on Saturday with the Flight Stakes her likely goal.

“She’s come back bigger and stronger and faster,’’ she said.

“Her work has been faultless, her trials have been great. It’s a strong field but I think she deserves to line up.

“I think she has taken that step from two to three, she’s an exciting filly and I think she’s over the odds (at $26).”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Randwick meeting