VERSATILE Moofeed (AUS), bagged his first Gr3 win in Tuesday night’s Tommy Hotspur Handicap over 1000m at Turffontein.

This was the four-year-old colt’s first attempt at the minimum dash after having won from 1100m to 1400m and he showed a nice turn of foot to hold off a field of quality sprinters. One Man’s Dream finished second ahead of Willow Magic and the game Tiger Territory, who turned in another useful performance.

Jockey S’Manga Khumalo rode a good race, using Moofeed’s galloping 52kg to his advantage. He made a decisive move at the 500m-mark, skipped two lengths clear of the chasing pack and managed to prevail by a neck in the face of mounting late pressure.

Assistant trainer Mathew de Kock commented; “Moofeed came into the race perhaps under-rated,” said Mathew de Kock in explanation of the colt’s 20-1 off-time odds. “Off his 88 rating we fancied him for a decent run tonight, on these terms we always had a chance with runners like Willow Magic, who’d be hard to beat at level weights. If you consider that Moofeed beat the multiple winner and Graded performer Trip Tease over 1100m here at more or less the same time last year, the win was not so surprising.”

He added: “Moofeed had some problems earliern in his career, but he’s matured intoa nice, strong horse. We’ll place him to make best advantage of his rating and he can win more.”

Moofeed, by Duke Of Marmalade, is raced by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum’s Al Adayaat, South Africa.

Headline photo of Mathew de Kock receiving trophy from Peter Naidoo; Moofeed photo by JC Photos.