Written by Paul Vettise
A lengthy association will continue at Flemington when Difficult (All Too Hard) appears in the opening race of the Victorian 2-year-old season on Wednesday with the filly boasting a pedigree to suggest she can make an early impact.
Difficult was a comfortable trial winner at Cranbourne earlier this month where she beat Lindsay Park’s Divine Caprice (Sebring) by 3.5l and they will go head to head again Wednesday’s Darley Spring Preview.
“She did it quite well and while it wasn’t a quick time, I thought when she was asked to quicken she did it quite well,” Caulfield trainer John Moloney said.
“She’s a pretty natural sort of filly so here we are going to the races with her. She won’t present in the yard like anything special because she’s still got her winter’s coat on, but she’s showed me enough.
“She won’t present in the yard like anything special because she’s still got her winter’s coat on, but she’s showed me enough.” – John Moloney
To be ridden by Moloney’s nephew Patrick, who was aboard in the trial success, Difficult has belied her name and hasn’t presented any issues during her education.
“She’s sound and very happy so we’ll take our chance. She’s been pretty straight forward, no problems,” Moloney said.
Patrick Moloney will ride Difficult in the opening 2-year-old race at Flemington
Difficult is bred and owned by brothers John and Paul Shannon, who raced Difficult’s dam Stings (Fusaichi Pegasus {USA}).
“Paul bought Stings in Adelaide and she was handy enough,” Moloney said. “She’s thrown Stingray, who was handy enough as well.”
Juvenile form
A $39,000 Magic Millions Yearling purchase, Stings was a winner at 1000 metres and finished fourth in the Listed Debutant S., a race Stingray (Kaphero) also contested with an identical result. He did win three times for Moloney and finished runner-up in the G3 Vain S.
“They both showed enough early days and this filly has too,” he said. “I’ve got an older brother, a 3-year-old colt (Stinga) and he hasn’t made it to the track yet, but he’s showing a bit of promise.”
Stings is a daughter of Scorpion Orchid (Ire) (Caerleon {USA}) and a family with international 2-year-old form as she is a half-sister to the former champion juvenile and G3 Newmarket Rockfel S. winner Negligent (GB) (Ahonoora {GB}), who was also third in the G1 Thousand Guineas.
The pedigree further features another filly in Sky Lantern (Ire) (Red Clubs {Ire}), who won three times at Group 1 level in the Moyglare Stud S., the Royal Ascot Coronation S. and the One Thousand Guineas.
