Racing
Baraqiel scores emotional Moir victory
Baraqiel has overcome a number of challenges to become a Group 1 winner.
Injury prone galloper Baraqiel has put all his ailments behind him to become a Group 1 winner in a mad dash at Moonee Valley.
The Leon and Troy Corstens and Will Larkin-trained sprinter burst through a narrow gap late in the race to take out the Moir Stakes (1000m) on Saturday.
Saturday's contest was a \dash from the outset and there were a number of hard luck stories, and if beaten, Baraqiel would have been one of them.
Somehow, jockey Ben Allen was able to weave a passage through the line of horses in front of him and on the line Baraqiel ($6) registered a long neck win from Alabama Lass ($6.50) with Arabian Summer ($16) a half-head away third.
Baraqiel did not race until he was a five-year-old after injuring a tendon in a hind leg before he had raced.
The sprinter went on to win his first four starts and the Corstens' were reluctant to spell Baraqiel before Larkin entered the training partnership last season.
After a further two wins, Baraqiel was tested in Group 1 company down the straight at Flemington, finishing sixth in the Champions Sprint before heading to Cranbourne for the inaugural running of the Meteorite.
That race brought about further problems for Baraqiel as he suffered another tendon injury, this time to a foreleg, and the gelding was forced to the sidelines again.
But that wasn't the end of his problems.
Racing Victoria vets ordered his withdrawal from his proposed return race at Caulfield in late July, ruling him lame. After consultation with RV vets and the Corstens and Larkin stable vet, Baraqiel was given the green light to resume.
A late dash up on the fence in the Listed Carlyon Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley on August 23 saw Baraqiel return a winner and Saturday's contest became the target.
Troy Corstens labelled Saturday's victory his biggest achievement.
"It's amazing and to do it with him, it's very special," Corstens said.
"With him, he's so fragile. You never know when it's coming. You know it's going to come and you hope you can hold him together for as long as we can."
It has been a huge learning curve for Larkin as the stable worked tireless hours in keeping Baraqiel on the track and racing.
"So much hard work goes into it," Larkin said.
"The whole team at home, we're pretty much patching him up every day at home. You get to this point and it's quite emotional.
"I was very nervous at the top of the straight. I thought we were going to go to the line untested, but his turn of foot is just so brilliant.
"He's such a good horse and what he can do when he's got clear air, is unbelievable."
For Allen it was his third win at Group 1 level, but he was far from a happy jockey during the race.
"I was absolutely cursing (thinking), 'I hate friggin' races at The Valley, Group 1s, they're so difficult'," Allen said.
"But I was lucky I had the right horse. He's just got that dog in him.
"It's unbelievable (to win another Group 1). I always said the last one was better than the first one and this is better than the last one.
"You never know when they're going to come. They're so hard to come by."
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