Money Matters on Target for Stakes Double

The weekend triumph in WA's Roma Cup (1200m) by Money Matters (Canford Cliffs) has his jockey Joseph Azzopardi confident the winner will be even better suited in the $200,000 Gr3 Belmont Sprint (1400m) on May 29.  Azzopardi was aboard the Canford Cliffs (Tagula) 4YO, a prolific winner at 10 of his 20 career starts to date, during his career-best performance as a $26 outsider at Ascot on Saturday. The hoop spoke from experience, having built a powerful partnership with Money Matters this season; Azzopardi has ridden the $573,477 earner in four races which have netted victories in the Roma Cup and Listed Hannans Handicap (1400m), as well as a third placing in the Gr3 Northam Mazda Stakes (1100m). Following that placing to Cup Night (Maschino) in arguably (according to rwwa.com.au) the strongest ever edition of the Northam Stakes last month, Money Matters faced top quality again when stepping up to WFA company for the first time in Saturday's Roma Cup. He displayed immense toughness to keep fighting and defeat the fast-finishing and reigning Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes winner Elite Street (Street Boss) by a nose. "[Trainer] Adam [Durrant] and I always thought that 1400s probably his ideal trip so, like Adam said on Saturday, 1400m to 1600 is probably his best distance range."