ARTICLE FROM RACENET.COM by Brad Waters
Friday night’s Group II A J Moir Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley will be dual Group I winner Atomic Force’s first start under the banner of his new spring home.
Atomic Force won the Group I Galaxy (1100m) in Sydney last year as well as the Group I Railway Stakes (1200m) in New Zealand in January for Newcastle trainer Darren Smith but the son of Danehill Dancer will campaign in Melbourne as part of the Mick Price operation at Caulfield.
Atomic Force returning to scale following his Group 1
Price said Smith and Atomic Force’s owners had decided to send the gelding to his stable along with fellow Dynamic Syndications-owned galloper Midnight At Ascot for logistical reasons.
"The thinking was it made sense for them to come down here and for me train them rather than Darren be done here for so long while he has a big team at Newcastle,” Price said.
"They’ll go back to Darren’s stable after the carnival so it’s only a short-term thing.
"I have trained for the team at Dynamic Syndications in the past and the horses have stayed here before. We’ll work in there with what they do at Darren Smith’s place.
"They’ll be here for the carnival and we’ll see what we can do with them.”
Atomic Force is one of 15 nominations for Friday night’s event. The seven-year-old has raced three times at Moonee Valley for one placing but the sprinter has performed well at his runs at the venue.
Atomic Force finished third in the Group III McEwen Stakes and sixth in the Group I Manikato Stakes last year before running a solid fourth in the Listed Carlyon Stakes (1000m) at his last run at Moonee Valley on August 25.
Nash Rawiller will ride Atomic Force in the Moir Stakes. Rawiller won the Railway Stakes on Atomic Force while Hong Kong-based jockey Tim Clark was aboard for the gelding’s other Group I victory in The Galaxy.