Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Gnangara trainer Luke Edwards has abandoned plans to run talented filly August Moon in the $50,000 Caduceus Club Classic next Friday night.
After Gary Hall Jnr had driven August Moon, the $1.04 favourite, to an easy victory in the $50,000 APG Sales Classic for three-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night Edwards said: “I’ve decided against running her against the boys in Caduceus Club Classic. I don’t want to race her three weeks in a row, and we will put her away for a couple of weeks and come back later in the month.”
August Moon started from barrier three on Friday night and took up the running after 120m. She ambled through the lead time in 39.6sec. and the opening quarters in 31.6sec. and 31.1sec. before reeling off 400m sections in 28.7sec. and 28.3sec. on her way to beating $16 chance Cabsav by two lengths at a modest 2.0.3 rate over 2130m.
“She is a funny filly,” said Hall. “When in front she needs to keep her mind on the job, and tonight she never got on the bit. But she won easily, and her final half was good.”
Edwards said that as a two-year-old August Moon raced fiercely and was not very tractable. “But this season she has come back more relaxed, and I’d rather have her relaxed, rather than overdoing it,” he said.
August Moon now has won at her three starts as a three-year-old and should develop into a strong candidate for the $150,000 WA Oaks on October 13. She has earned $96,114 from four wins and four placings from ten starts.
August Moon’s win completed a quartet of feature-race wins for Hall, who had been successful earlier in the night with Benji, Water Lou and Lucapelo.