Moore ace bound for France after Goodwood near miss

The Wizard Of Eye went close to Group Three glory on Friday.

Stan Moore could head to France with The Wizard Of Eye, having gone down fighting in the Bonhams Thoroughbred Stakes at Goodwood on Friday.

Stan Moore’s imposing three-year-old, sent off an unconsidered 40-1 chance, was beaten three-quarters of a length by German raider Rocchigiani on his first run following a 63-day break.

The Group Three Prix Daphne over a mile at Deauville on August 20 has been pencilled in for the huge son of Galileo Gold, following his strong showing under James Doyle at the West Sussex track.

Though he has won just one of his 10 career starts, The Wizard Of Eye has faced some stiff tests. He was seventh in the valuable Saudi Derby, was beaten three lengths in the Greenham and ran with credit in the 2000 Guineas, before a luckless run in the German equivalent.

Upper Lambourn handler Moore said: “It was a brilliant run on Friday. That will hopefully prove to people that his other runs weren’t a fluke.

“They keep underestimating him. He produced a great run in the Greenham against two dual Group One winners, it was a great run in the Saudi Derby and the horses around him in the 2000 Guineas have all done well. In the German Guineas he got wiped out at the start.

“He definitely has a big race in him. Hopefully his rating will go up and one of his main targets will be going back to Saudi again, because we know he goes on the dirt.

“He’ll have the strength and the power then. He is 17.2 hands and now he is strengthening up, we can train him properly for that. You couldn’t really get into him and train him as you’d want all the while he was a frame of a horse.”

Moore, who owns a quarter share in the colt, feels the best is yet to come, once he finishes filling his frame.

“I still think he won’t come into his own until next year, but there is a Group Three at Deauville on August 20. All being well, that is where he will go,” he added.

“His next race will most likely be in France somewhere. The way the weather is here, they have got a better chance of getting his ground there. I think he will be better with a bit of juice in the ground.

“We left him for two and a half months to strengthen up if he didn’t run for another two months it wouldn’t worry me, because he is going to be an absolute beast of a horse.

“The real aim would be to go to Saudi, if we were lucky enough to get an invite. That will be his main target – it is big bucks.”

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