Barely a Moment collected his second consecutive group I and third overall in taking the Toorak Handicap (Aust-I) on the first of the three-day Melboune Racing Club's Spring Carnival Oct 8.
The 125th Toorak winner is from the second of four southern crops left by Vinery's former shuttler
Gilded Time.
Barely a Moment had raised his earnings to within a few dollars of $1 million (Australian funds) in taking the Dubai Racing Club Cup (Aust-I) at over 1,400 meters of the same oval Sept. 17.
That had been his first group I success in two years for the David Hayes-trained 4-year-old colt, the interim yielding a sting of minor placings in major races at three.
The major portion of the $350,000 Toorak purse elevated his career earnings past $1.2 million -- gleaned from four wins and six placings in 19 starts.
Stepping up to a mile, Barely a Moment (9-2) and Craig Williams again found the line first ahead of the John Moore-trained Super Kid (8-1), this time by three-quarters of a length. New Zealand group I winning distaffer Calveen (11-1) appeared unlucky in finishing third, a half head away.
A track dulled by rain saw the 1,600 meters take 1:37.96, almost a fifth of a second slower than the main race, the Caulfield Guineas (Aust-I) one race earlier.
Super Kid's crew no doubt see the irony in bringing Super Kid from Hong Kong to campaign in Australia and running into a colt from the barn of Moore's former Hong Kong rival in successive group Is.
Super Kid, a New Zealand-bred 6-year-old by Sullust horse Gaius, has earnings of more than $17 million (HK funds). He will back up in the W.S. Cox Plate (Aust-I) Oct 22.
Hayes has several options for Barely a Moment, but it seems he will wind up in the $750,000 Cantala Stakes (Aust-I) on the final day of the Victoria Racing Club carnival Nov 5. David Hayes won the mile handicap three times straight in the early 1990s, his late brother Peter training the next two after David moved to Hong Kong. Colin Hayes also won the race as a trainer in a total of 98 group I winners.
