Grinzinger Moon makes city debut to continue winning streak that began in Towong maiden
Wangaratta trainer Ben Brisbourne will test Grinzinger Moon in the Catanach's Jewellers Handicap (1200m) after four straight wins either side of the Murray River.
Grinzinger Moon went fairly in two unplaced runs in the spring but Brisbourne said a natural change of tactics in two February jumpouts was the catalyst for the three-year-old's winning run.
'I always trained her as a horse that would get over 14(00m) or a mile and I spent six months teaching her to relax behind horses and pick them up as my horses race,' Brisbourne said.
'She had a couple of starts last prep that were pass marks so I put her away and brought her back in.
'In her first jumpout, she jumped so well from the barriers and put herself in a forward position.
'Normally, when mine do that, they would be half weak in the finish but she found two more gears and looked really impressive.
'We thought, 'well, she obviously wanted to do it that way' so we trained her that way.'
Wins at Benalla and Yarra Valley preceded a minor setback when the filly developed a foot abscess, which required a short break.
The daughter of Puissance De Lune returned with a strong win at Albury on May 16.
Brisbourne noted all of Grinzinger Moon's wins were against older horses.
'I think her times have matched up wherever she's gone and (owner) John Wheeler has just let me take her through the grades to teach her to be a winner,' Brisbourne said.
'She's stepped up every time.
'Though she's a three-year-old filly, she's gone up against the older horses.
'This will be the first time she will be in a handicap against her own age group.
'She's got a good running style for that track and I'm pretty happy with how the race has come up.'
Grinzinger Moon is a $13 chance in early betting on the Catanach's Jewellers Handicap.
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