Racing
League
Rugby
Cricket
Golf
Olympics
Football
Netball
Motorsport
Combat Sports
Basketball
Other Sports
Sport Nation
Full Noise by SN
Live sport on SN this weekendMoore unleashing the beast at Riccarton
Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk • May 1st, 2026 2:40 pm
Unleash The Beast will contest the Hornby Club Founders Cup (2600m) at Riccarton on Saturday. Photo: Race Images South
Rangiora trainer Kenny Moore has certainly Unleashed The Beast of late, with the horse carrying the same name shooting for his third consecutive win at Riccarton on Saturday.
The four-year-old son of Eminent entered a purple patch of form when winning in rating 65 grade at Ashburton at the start of last month and he proved that victory was no fluke when running away to a dominant three length victory over 2600m at Riccarton in rating 75 grade last week.
Those two victories have filled Moore with plenty of confidence, with the Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) in November now firmly in his sights with his gelding.
While the staying feature is the ultimate goal, Moore said Unleash The Beast will have one final run this preparation in Saturday’s Hornby Club Founders Cup (2600m) before heading for a break in preparation for a spring campaign, and he is upbeat about his prospects this weekend.
“He has just trained on so well from last week, you wouldn’t have thought he had had a race. I couldn’t be any happier with him,” Moore said.
“We said all the way through that he is going to be an autumn four-year-old and five-year-old before he is at his best and he has just finally become a professional little racehorse.
“I am confident (heading into Saturday), it is basically the same field as last week with a couple of extras in. With the weight difference I think we are going to be very competitive.
“There is nothing for him down here after tomorrow, and I won’t go on the poly with him, so he will go out after tomorrow for a winter break and he will be back late August for a New Zealand Cup campaign.”
Moore’s stable heads into the weekend in good form, with No Trumps placing in the Grandstand Eatery In The Phar Lap Maiden (2100m) on the Riccarton Synthetic on Thursday.
“It was lovely to get a placing with him and know he is going to be competitive down here, which we did think, he is a stunning looking horse,” Moore said. “He is going to be a little bit of fun going forward.”
