Less is Moor for Brisbane jockey

By Jordan Gerrans

Elite hoop Daniel Moor says Queensland's Summer Racing Carnival was one of the key drivers of his move north and he cannot wait to get the ball rolling this Saturday at Caloundra. 

The carnival heads north to the Sunshine Coast for their meeting which is headlined by the Mooloolaba Cup and the Swiss Ace Plate before feature racing heads back down the highway to Brisbane and then on to the Gold Coast for the Magic Millions. 

As a newcomer to the Sunshine State racing ranks, the formerly Victorian-based Moor is keen to get stuck into the summer action. 

Top Brisbane trainer Robert Heathcote has already secured Moor’s services for Saturday with Prince Of Boom in the Swiss Ace Plate while he will also partner Cosmo Centaurus.

He will also pilot Galifianakis for trainer Jack Bruce in the feature Mooloolaba Cup over a mile. 

The 41-year-old Moor has identified Cosmo Centaurus as a progressive galloper after winning on the gelding first-up in early October.

With the rich Magic Millions carnival on the horizon, Moor says it is a great time to be calling Queensland home. 

“I am looking forward to the carnival as well as the Magic Millions two-year-old race,” Moor said.

“I am thinking of that in the long range. It is about identifying what kind of horses you want to be on obviously as it is very competitive up here and there is a great base of riders on the side of youth and experience.

“I am looking forward to getting into the carnival and working hard to find something that’ll bob up.

“I have touched base with a few trainers down south when it comes to the two-year-olds as well because it is a strong market, the Magic Millions, and Melbourne is a pretty prolific buyer.

“If I can’t find a good Magic Millions horse here locally, then I will try find one down home.”

The well-travelled Moor has most certainly hit the ground running in his new venture. 

He has been the flavour of the month with all the leading stables since he relocated north.

That is highlighted by his bookings for the city midweek meeting from Doomben on Wednesday. 

He has engagements for seven different stables with many for leading barns. 

The multiple Group 1-winning hoop has been on a roll in South East Queensland since announcing his move in early September.

He started in the best possible way by riding a winner on his first day at the track in Ipswich.

After riding internationally in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Mauritius, Moor says he understands acutely just how hard it can be to break in as a rider in a new jurisdiction. 

When he moved north, he did not have many relationships with Queensland trainers, outside of lifting Jonker to Group 1 glory for Tony Gollan a few years back.

So, he figured the best way to crack the Brisbane market was to just get to work, like he did when he was a young apprentice trying to make his name as a rider. 

“I knew that my work ethic would get me across the line there,” he said.

“I have been really appreciative of the support that I have got.

“You need to take a keen eye on what horses you would identify you would like to try and ride, that was something I did before I moved up by watching Brisbane racing more.

“That is the same with trainers, who you would like to ride for.

“There is a lot of homework that goes into it, I did that once I came to the decision about Brisbane being where I wanted to have a crack.

“I find getting straight into it, boots on the ground and getting your hands dirty is the best way to do it.”

Moor has moved north in an interim basis on his own with his wife and children remaining in Victoria. 

The family are in the process of planning their relocation in the coming months to all reside in the Sunshine State. 

Time with the family was also key in Moor’s move north. 

While he is locked in as ever to ride big-time winners, he says the daily grind of Victorian racing was becoming overwhelming and therefore he lacked time with his children. 

He believes the way the industry flows in South East Queensland will provide him the perfect balance between family and riding. 

“It was a decision I didn’t take lightly and put some thought into it,” he said.

“I had been thinking for a few months leading up to the actual move that I needed a bit of a change and a refresh.

“Racing in Victoria is pretty gruelling and demanding so I just looked around to a couple of other states and the appeal of Brisbane was there for me.

“The weather, the amount of racing every week and the lifestyle stood out to me.

“I want to spend more time with family and not be engrossed by racing.”