Jockey Patrick Moloney remains confident in Express Class’s ability to secure a significant victory in the future.
After a promising debut win at Sandown nearly a year ago, Express Class was soon tested against three-year-old Stakes competitors in two subsequent starts, notably achieving a third-place finish in the Group 3 Vain Stakes during his second run.
Following a spell over the spring, the Gerard Moloney-trained Express Class made a return for a late summer-autumn campaign. He competed against older horses in a benchmark race upon resuming, before re-entering Stakes company for three more outings. This culminated in a seventh-place finish in the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington.
Express Class is set to commence his spring campaign in the Quayclean Handicap (1100m) at Caulfield this Saturday. Despite drawing barrier 12 in a field of 14, Moloney is anticipating a strong showing.
“He’s had two nice trials coming into it, albeit his last one he got a bit lost at Caulfield going up the back straight and running up the hill,” Moloney stated.
“He didn’t know what was going on, but his work has been excellent.
“We’ve been working him in blinkers which he will have on Saturday, and I think you’ll find a much more furnished horse this time around.”
Moloney indicated that Express Class is still developing his racing maturity and is optimistic the blinkers will make a difference.
“When the penny drops, he’s definitely good enough to put a race away like this,” Moloney commented.
“But it just seems, every time he gets to Caulfield, he draws badly and has to take his medicine early and is that flashing light run.
“He can do a few things wrong by the same token, so I’m hoping with the blinkers on and the track is racing true and you can make ground out in the middle, or wider, you’ll see a horse that has come back an improved animal.”
With Express Class turning four in just over a week, Moloney suggested that his spring program would likely progress through the benchmark system in the coming weeks, contingent on his Saturday performance.
“He’ll be a four-year-old in a few days and only has the one win, so we’ll just work out where he is in the pecking order and work with his rating,” Moloney explained.
“He just needs to prove himself through the ratings, but what he shows at home he can be a nice Saturday horse, and to what extent, we don’t know.
“We just hope that he brings what he does at home, to the races.”
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