Daniel Moor extended his excellent run of form this year by winning Gippsland’s premier sprint race, the $80,000 Sale Quality (1205m) on Kirani last Sunday.
The Pat Hyland-trained Kirani led throughout to score by 1¾ lengths from Danestroem.
“I think I’ve found another jockey that can ride him,” Hyland quipped
“He’s a horse that’s been going quite well.
“I wasn’t too worried coming to the home turn because he had a pretty easy time in the lead and I knew they’d have to be good to beat him.
“It’s a nice race to win,” Hyland added.
Moor revealed after the race that he was surprised to be afforded such an easy time in the lead.
“I just landed there,” Moor said.
“The race did look devoid of pace on paper but I thought being this track and a feature race that they’d run along a bit more.”
“But I got there (to the front) very easily and I was able to ramp it up at my own lesisure.”
From January 8 to February 7, Moor rode in 64 races for 10 wins and 11 minor placings.  
Moor won’t be allowed to add to his tally of winners until February 26 after being suspended for 23 meetings over a careless-riding charge from last Thursday’s meeting at Terang.
Moor partnered London Fog to a last-stride victory, with a length covering the first nine horses across the line.
London Fog rolled inwards slightly after the post and caused a chain reaction among the congested pack, which led to Kyle Maskiell being dislodged.
 Stewards took into account Moor’s guilty plea and good record but noted the severity of the interference and consequences.
Attenborough green but good
Attenborough became Peter Moody’s third individual juvenile winner for this season after surviving a protest on debut at Sale.
Ridden by Patrick Moloney, Attenborough came from a trailing position in the six-horse field to win Sunday’s two-year-old handicap over 1205 metres by a nose.
Runner-up and fellow first-starter Kaptive Hero surged over the final 100 metres.
Kaptive Hero’s rider, Andrew Mallyon, objected against Attenborough, believing Moloney had allowed his mount to shift out at the 200-metre mark when insufficiently clear of Kaptive Hero.
But stewards ruled that Attenborough had been clear and that Kaptive Hero was only “slightly inconvenienced”. As a result, they believed the action didn’t affect the result.
“He (Attenborough) jumped really good and put himself in a nice position box-seating but they really backed off the tempo,” Moloney said.
“He took a while to get through his gears — he’s still green and still learning his craft.
“He’s only going to get better with more time and over more distance,” he added.
Attenborough was purchased for $NZ470,000 ($A440,000) from New Zealand Bloodstock’s Karaka sale as a yealing. His ownership syndicate includes Moody’s wife, Sarah, as well as Cambridge Stud proprietor Sir Patrick Hogan.
Buckler breakthrough
A day after stable star Well Sprung failed in the listed W.J. Adams Stakes (1000m) at Caulfield, the mother-and-daughter training partnership of Lyn Tolson and Leonie Proctor bounced back at Sale, with Buckler winning his maiden impressively.
Buckler was confidently handled by Damian Lane en route to his 3¼-length victory in a 1105-metre three-year-old maiden.  
“I had him cruising outside the leader and he did the rest,” Lane said.
Buckler was placed behind multiple city winner Runsati and last-start Magic Millions Guineas winner Mahuta in a Seymour 1100-metre maiden at his second start.
He was spelled after finishing second to Iceflow, getting back and hitting the line strongly over 1209 metres at Seymour contrary to the pattern of the day.
“Last prep we were fighting him to eat and keep the weight on him. This campaign he’s eating and he’s a happy horse,” Proctor said.
“He’s not quite there yet. We’ll take him through his grades slowly.”
Well Sprung, who finished last, beaten 25 lengths, pulled up without any abnormalities but Damien Oliver eased the three-year-old out of the race, believing the colt didn’t feel right in his action.