Rising star Mogador off to Melbourne

Wednesday 23 September 2015, 6:09pm

Godolphin sprinter Mogador will be sent to Melbourne for the Blue Sapphire Stakes in a bid to avoid a clash with Golden Rose-winning stablemate Exosphere.

The three-year-old resumed as a clear favourite to win the Pro-Ride Handicap at Warwick Farm on Wednesday and had to come from behind to beat stablemate Orujo by a long head.

Trainer John O'Shea was ecstatic with Mogador's performance.

"Albeit it's a midweek race, but it's a special little race for a horse, lightly raced, to come back on the inside as he has done today," O'Shea said.

The Godolphin head trainer said Mogador would be running in the Blue Sapphire as a prelude to a possible tilt at the Oakleigh Plate in the autumn.

"The problem is he's going to run into his stablemate (Exosphere) at some stage," he said.

"The key to going to the Sapphire is giving him the opportunity to run around Caulfield so if we decide to run him in the Oakleigh Plate, which is probably more beneficial, he's had a run."

Mogador was one of three winners for James McDonald as he shared riding honours with Hugh Bowman.

Meanwhile, Montauk's trainer Chris Waller hopes the colt can follow in the hoofsteps of stablemate Metallic Crown after a maiden win on Wednesday.

The three-year-old, which started the $2.30 favourite, survived a protest to win the TAB More Than Just Winning Maiden Handicap by a short half-head over the James Cummings-trained Most Exalted ($8).

Most Exalted's jockey Blake Shinn claimed Montauk had shifted ground but it didn't take stewards long to dismiss the objection.

Waller said Montauk had a lot in common with Metallic Crown, his Group Three Ming Dynasty winner, and could push on to better races.

"It's takes some time to crack their wins but once Metallic Crown broke his, he went on to win a Group race," Waller said.

"Hopefully this horse can do the same."

Bowman went from Cummings's nemesis to hero in the space of three races, joining forces with the young trainer to ride Cast In Stone to victory.

It completed Bowman's treble after he also won on the Joe Pride-trained sprinter Yaboroo.

– AAP

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