Werther a “live chance” ahead of Sunday’s Oriental Watch Trophy
CHAMPION trainer John Moore has labelled former Horse of the Year winner Werther as a “live chance” in this Sunday’s Group 2 Oriental Watch Trophy at Sha Tin.
The three-time Hong Kong group one winner hasn’t raced since winning the Champions & Chater Cup in May, but Moore believes he can go back-to-back in Sunday’s race having scored with Designs On Rome last season.
“Werther’s very well,” Moore said. “He’s a live chance. The gate’s important, of course, especially at the mile, but hopefully he can draw so that he can just get a soft run in behind.
“We’re going into Sunday with high hopes that he can repeat what he did two seasons ago when he won first-up.”
The injury-prone runner hasn’t been easy to train for Moore, but the Hong Kong Derby and QEII winner hasn’t shown signs of any problems this time around.
“Everything’s going to plan, we’ve had no setbacks,” Moore said. “He can be a bit of a handful at times but we’ve been super careful with him in terms of what goes on with him day-to-day.
“We’ve had no problems this time around.
“He’ll run Sunday and then he’ll go into the Jockey Club Cup (2000m) next month and then the Hong Kong Cup (2000m).
“He’s very clean-winded so that’s all he needs.”
Moore has a stranglehold on the Oriental Watch Trophy with six of the 13 entries, which includes European import Joyful Trinity.
Joyful Trinity is looking to bounce back after injuring its hind quarter in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup in February.
“Joyful Trinity has done everything right,” Moore said. “He’s had two trials after coming back from a hind quarter injury and he hasn’t been knocked around. He has some relief in the weights, he’s getting a couple of pounds from the top horses this time.
“I think I had him as fit as I could last season and he was running up to the level I thought he was capable of. I’d just have my reservations about him going up to the next level, to be a set-weights group one winner.
“I think if he can repeat what he did last season, he’s a live chance too on Sunday.”