Scone, Lismore previews for Monday: Northam mare is on the move

Rodney Northam trained mare Move She Can returns to the scene of her blowout win on Scone Cup day when she opens her new campaign at her home track on Monday

Trainer Rodney Northam will saddle up Move She Can at Scone on Monday. Picture: Jenny Evans / File

The longest priced winner at this year’s two-day Scone carnival will have a lot more admirers when she makes her return to racing at the same track and the same distance on Monday.

The Rodney Northam-trained Move She Can was a shock $81 winner of the Scone RSL Maiden Handicap (1000m) on the Cup day undercard in mid-May.

Her debut came 16 days after she finished a distant second in a 950m trial at Tamworth.

“I was sort of disappointed she didn’t win the trial leading into that race but the horse that beat her in the trial looks like being a superstar and she did beat the rest quite easily,’’ Northam says.

“So when you look back on it, she probably shouldn’t have started the odds that she did.’’

The horse that beat Move She Can in the trial was none other than Clear Thinking. Bred by The Queen and owned by Arrowfield, the daughter of Galaxy winner Sweet Idea is undefeated in three career starts.

Unlike her, Move She Can was beaten at Scone in her Class 1 assignment three weeks after her Maiden victory.

“She was a little disappointing second-up, I think she’d just sort of had enough,’’ Northam said.

“She has trialled up nicely and it is a good kicking off point for her on Monday. It will give us some sort of indication where we are going.

“She should be running top three if she is going to progress in the right direction.’’

Northam is naturally eager to see what stablemates Grandini and Octern deliver in the Powerhouse Thoroughbreds Country Boosted Maiden Plate (1200m).

Both are lightly-raced four-year-olds about to open their second full respective campaigns.

“Grandini showed a little bit last time and she’s grown and developed and definitely matured up nicely,’’ Northam says.

“Unfortunately she has drawn a little bit wide but she will probably get back and hit the line.

“She has got really good ability. I would be disappointed if she couldn’t run top three there on Monday.’’

Octern failed to make much of an impression in her two starts at Dubbo and Scone in the middle of the year but trialled in impressive and encouraging style at her home track 12-days ago.

“Octern has improved as well (but) she could just be looking for a little bit further though,’’ said Northam.

“She trialled well and she’s come through it quite nicely. She is probably more a miler but I expect her to race well from a good draw over 1200m first-up.’’

Both Octern and Grandini are members of Australian Stud Book royalty.

Grandini’s fourth dam is Twiglet while Octern is a fifth generation descendant of Eight Carat.

Northam’s fourth and final runner on the Scone program is Great Point who contests the Inglis Class 1 Handicap (1100m).

The daughter of Bull Point has been somewhat hot and cold in her five starts but is able to boast a Scone win at the end of her short, sharp first campaign.

“Her first prep was good and we gave her a little break and ran her at Tamworth and she had no luck whatsoever,’’ Northam explained.

“Then she ran on a Heavy track and went terrible at Newcastle and just lost confidence.

“She just of left me a little bit disappointed at the end of last prep but she trialled well, her work has been great, like it was last time, so hopefully she races up to her work.

“If she does do that, she will be competitive on Monday and beyond.”

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GREY gelding Moon Sweeper will line-up in a Benchmark 58 at Lismore on Monday but could be a Group 3 winner before Christmas.

The Matthew Dunn-trained three-year-old turned in a dazzling debut win at Lismore on October 20 in a 1210m Country Maiden.

And while the win was wholly predictable from Dunn’s point of view, even he was impressed with the way it was carried out.

“He is a decent horse in the making for sure,’’ Dunn said. “He has got a really good future, that horse.

“I’m looking at some of the feature races over the summer in Queensland for him. The Grand Prix or something like that.

“He is ready to go to town but this race fit with his program better than anywhere else so that’s why he’s here and wanted him to have, hopefully, another kill.’’

Moon Sweeper is a son of Puissance De Lune out of La Scopa who was one of Dunn’s earliest Highway winners and the 2109 NRRA Championship Qualifier winner.

Dunn is well-known for his eagle-eye at the yearling sales and Lismore-bound Lucky Neko stands as testament given her mere $5,000 price-tag at the Gold Coast March Sale in 2023.

“She was cheap,’’ Dunn says. “She was kind of little and a bit insignificant but she has developed into quite a nice filly now.’’

Lucky Neko picked up $3800 when she resumed with a noteworthy third in an unusually deep Murwillumbah maiden.

“There is definitely good form out of that race and she’s improved a bit too,’’ Dunn reported. “I gave her a nice big space between runs to let her get over it properly. She’ll run well.’’

Dunn can send his army of loyal fans home wealthier should his recent stable recruit Miss Uchitel continue on her merry way in the last race on the card.

“She has raced well since she came up here,’’ Dunn said.

“She is going to carry the bottom weight with the claim so she will be hard to beat again.’’

For the record, Dark Jewel descendant Miss Uchitel, has won two of her three races since she swapped Randwick for Murwillumbah but could soon be back in the city, albeit temporarily.

“She is now qualified for a Highway cause she’s had three (runs) for me, so she can go to a Highway race for sure,’’ Dunn said.

Originally published as Scone, Lismore previews for Monday: Northam mare is on the move