Racing
Memsie win a Moment to Treasure
Treasurethe Moment has extended her winning streak to nine with a first-up win in the Memsie Stakes at Caulfield.
Trainer Matt Laurie was blown away with the return win of Treasurethe Moment who graduated to open Group 1 company at Caulfield.
A dual Oaks winning filly during her three-year-old season, Treasurethe Moment made her season return in the Memsie Stakes (1400m) on Saturday.
The youngest member of the nine runners that lined up in Saturday's race, Treasurethe Moment is still two months shy of turning four.
That was not lost on Laurie pre-race, but he was in awe of Treasurethe Moment following her return win on Saturday.
Under the guidance of Damian Lane, Treasurethe Moment ($6) raced to a 2-½ length victory from Mr Brightside ($7) with Buckaroo ($61) running on from last, a half-length away.
"It was one of the best Memsie fields we've seen in some time," Laurie said.
"I wasn't expecting to be coming here and winning, but she had come up very well and to win in such fashion, is pretty incredible.
"There was good pace, and you just knew coming to the turn, if she got the breaks, that she would burst through.
"I have never seen a horse travel that well around the bend and quicken up like she did, it was fantastic to watch.
"To come back from winning two Oaks and come back against a field like this over seven furlongs, its mind blowing."
Laurie said Treasurethe Moment will head to the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on September 13 and then the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) on October 4.
After those two runs in a bid to extend Treasurethe Moments winning streak to 11, connections of the mare will need to make a decision on whether to tackle the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 18 or the Group 1 Cox Plate (20240m) at Moonee Valley a week later.
A Cox Plate contest would set-up a clash with another Yulong-owned mare and last year's champion Via Sistina.
"That's a discussion to have with the connections," Laurie said.
"They've obviously got a lot of high-class horses and obviously don't want to meet, but on that run, 2000 metres at The Valley, she'd have to be some chance."
While confident Treasurethe Moment had come up well, Lane said Treasurethe Moment had been electrifying in her return win.
"Trackwork, jump-outs, they're a different kind of pressure, and she was jumping up to the big boys and girls now," Lane said.
"We were hoping what we were seeing in her trackwork, and trials would translate into today, and it did.
"It was a little unexpected the way the race was run. We didn't have Pinstriped leading them up at a very fast clip and I was in a bit of a sticky spot on the corner, but luckily enough I was able to take it, and she was electrifying."
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