Baraqiel overcomes setbacks to claim emotional Moir Stakes
Trainer Troy Corstens was moved to tears after injury-prone gelding Baraqiel (Snitzel) overcame a career of setbacks to capture Saturday’s Moir Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m) at The Valley, delivering one of the most emotional victories of his career.
The 1000-metre contest was run at breakneck speed, leaving several hard luck stories in behind, but it was the son of the late Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) who emerged from the pack to post his first Group 1 triumph after striking first-up in the Carlyon Stakes (Listed, 1000m) at the same track last month.
With jockey Ben Allen navigating a narrow run up the fence in the dying stages, Baraqiel tenaciously surged to deny a game Alabama Lass (Alabama Express) by a half-length, with Too Darn Hot (Dubawi) mare Arabian Summer sticking on to finish just 0.1 lengths further back in third.
For Corstens, who trains in partnership with his father Leon and Will Larkin under the Malua Racing banner, the victory was a vindication of years of patient handling and belief in the seven-year-old, who many thought would never make it back to the track.
“You don’t often get horses as good as him and we pictured that early on,” Corstens told Racing.com.
“There was a stage where just about everyone had had enough of him. Nathan [Bennett, owner], was talking about selling him online, I said, ‘Don’t do that, because I will buy him.’
“I didn’t want to do that because the guys had been along for the run so long and they deserved to share in his success, which I knew would come. With him, he’s so fragile. You never know when it’s coming. You know it’s going to come and you hope you can hold him together for as long as we can.”
Purchased for $150,000 as a yearling, Baraqiel did not debut until he was five after a tendon injury delayed his career. He announced himself by winning his first four starts last year but further tendon issues – to both hind and forelegs – stalled his progress. As recently as July, Racing Victoria vets ordered his withdrawal from a planned Caulfield return after ruling him lame.
Through it all, Corstens and his team persevered. At one stage, Corstens oversaw the horse’s rehabilitation at no cost to his large ownership group led by Bennett Racing.
“It’s amazing and to do it with him, it’s very special,” Corstens said. “It’s so good. I’m stoked for him. The old man [Leon] was going to come down today, he talked about it during the week, but decided against it. They’re so hard to win, so it’s just so special.”
For Larkin, who joined the training partnership last year, the win was a deeply significant first Group 1 triumph.
“It’s been massive, right from when I started with Leon and Troy we’ve been patching him together,” he said. “We’ve had so many setbacks. You have to think on your feet all the time and not overwork them and use the time to get them up to speed. So much hard work goes into it. The whole team at home, we’re pretty much patching him up every day. To get to this point is quite emotional.
“I was very nervous at the top of the straight. I thought we were going to go to the line untested, but his turn of foot is just so brilliant.
“He’s such a good horse and what he can do when he’s got clear air, is unbelievable.”
Allen, who was securing his third Group 1 victory, admitted he feared the worst during the run but was relieved when the split came.
“I was absolutely cursing, [thinking] ‘I hate friggin’ races at The Valley, Group 1s, they’re so difficult’,” the winning rider said.
“But I was lucky I had the right horse. He’s just got that dog in him. It’s unbelievable [to win another Group 1]. I always said the last one was better than the first one and this is better than the last one. You never know when they’re going to come. They’re so hard to come by.”
For runner-up Alabama Lass, it was a gallant Australian debut that left her co-trainer Ken Kelso encouraged for the future.
“I thought she was home,” Kelso said. “But we wanted to test the waters and find out how good she was and where she sat at weight-for-age. I think she certainly passed the test.
“Craig [Williams] just said she raced a bit fresh. It’s a fine line going in fresh, but he thinks we should hang around for the Manikato. She’s had a look around it now and he thinks the 1200 metres should be right up her alley.”
Alabama Lass, who has now won six and placed second in her ten career starts, will press on to the Manikato Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) at The Valley on September 26, while Arabian Summer also lost no admirers in her close-up third.
Baraqiel, who has now won eight of 12 starts and over $1.1 million in prize-money, will also head to the Manikato in a bid to make it five wins from as many starts at The Valley.
Corstens is adamant he will be even better suited to 1200 metres, over which he gained his stakes-level breakthrough in the McEwen Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at the track last October. Following the Manikato, connections hope a crack at The Everest (Gr 1, 1200m) will be on the horizon.
“Bring on the Manikato,” Corstens said. “We’ll run there and he’ll be a great chance in that, then hopefully we’re fielding calls from Sydney for The Everest. My word he is [good enough]. He’s tough, he’s strong and he’s tenacious.”
Bred by Arrowfield Group Pty Ltd and Jungle Pocket Pty Ltd, Baraqiel was purchased by Bennett Racing, Anthony Freedman Racing and Blue Sky Bloodstock from the Arrowfield draft at the 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
On Saturday he became the second Group 1 winner to come out of the Group 3-winning Hussonet (Mr Prospector) mare Angel Of Mercy, joining Australian Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Autumn Angel (The Autumn Sun).
The mare has since produced an unraced three-year-old sister to Autumn Angel named Kindred Spirit, as well as colts by Maurice (Screen Hero) and his son Hitotsu. She missed to Snitzel last spring, with Baraqiel providing the late great stallion with his 24th individual Group 1 winner.