James Moore turns to Chelsea Baker

By Glenn Davis

Emerging trainer James Moore is hopeful of finishing the racing season on a high when he heads to Gatton on Friday with one starter.

Moore will send Cheerful Cat around in the Benchmark 60 Handicap over 1600 metres and is hoping the four-year-old can end a frustrating run of outs for the stable.

Moore is the son of champion international jockey and trainer Gary Moore and is the grandson of Australia’s legendary jockey George Moore.

He moved to Queensland from Macau a few years ago to begin a new chapter in his career at Caloundra and has 20 horses in work after starting off with a small team.

However, Moore has hit a form slump and hasn’t trained a winner from his last 22 starters.

“We’re going through a lean spell but hopefully we can end it with Cheerful Cat,” Moore said.

Despite a lack of recent winners, Moore was happy with his performance this season.

“It’s been a good season and we just fell short of our key performance indicator,” Moore said.

“We set ourselves a target of 10 winners but we were very consistent and consistency is the key.”

Cheerful Cat is coming off a close third to the Declan Maher-trained War Drama in a 1600 metre Benchmark race at the Sunshine Coast on July 20.

“It was a huge run dropping back from 1900 metres at Kilcoy,” Moore said.

“His owner is a retired former trainer and jockey who lives in Hong Kong and he believes 1600 metres is his best distance.

“He likes to book all his riders and he’s got a big opinion of Chelsea Baker who will ride Cheerful Cat.

“Chelsea has ridden for me before, but she hasn’t ridden a winner for us yet but she’s very professional and dedicated.

“She’s a strong rider and tactically aware and does her homework well.

“The owner of this horse has a very high opinion of her and rates her in the top three riders in the state.”

Baker was Tasmania’s leading apprentice for the 2022-23 season and was twice crowned the dux of the Tasmanian apprentice program before joining champion trainer Tony Gollan.

Baker was born and raised in Tasmania.

Baker rode a winning double at Toowoomba on Monday afternoon.