Redondo Beach has a lot to live up to and transtasman trainer Mike Moroney is happy with the lightly-raced stayer's progress after his victory in yesterday's A$100,000 ($113,315) Western Health Cup at Flemington.
Redondo Beach is out of the Oak Ridge mare Palos Verdes, the dam of four-time
Group One winner El Segundo.
The reigning Cox Plate hero hadn't raced when Moroney's brother Paul bought Redondo Beach as a yearling for just under A$90,000 in New Zealand.
Not long after that El Segundo won a maiden at Cranbourne.
Redondo Beach started his second racing preparation in September this year and has won four of his five starts.
"He over-raced and pulled fiercely and I thought at the 700 metres he had no chance," jockey Greg Childs said. "But all credit to him as he did quicken. There's a lot of raw talent there but hopefully he won't race like that again."
Sent out the favourite, Redondo Beach had 1 1/4 lengths to spare from on-pacer Perusen with outsider Constant Cheers a similar margin away in third.
Moroney said he was concerned about the way Redondo Beach over-raced.
"He hadn't raced for three-and-a-half weeks between runs," he said of the 4-year-old.
"He never settled at any stage. Greg rode him at his last start at Ballarat where he said he relaxed really well."
Redondo Beach will likely contest the listed A$150,000 Bagot Handicap (2500m) at Flemington on New Year's Day and then have one more outing in Tasmania.
He would run in either the A$400,000 Hobart Cup on February 11 or the A$300,000 Launceston Cup on February 27, both Group Three events over 2400m.
Moroney said Redondo Beach left New Zealand as a late 2-year-old and at that stage he hadn't raced as he kept going shin sore.
Childs completed a running double when he landed the Dean Lawson-trained Itsamonty a winner in the Zouki Hcp (1400m).
- AAP
