Australia: Melbourne Cup winner Green Moon returns in Futurity Stakes

Green Moon, winner of the Melbourne Cup over two miles last November, makes his 2013 debut in Saturday’s $515,000 Futurity Stakes for sprinters at Caulfield Racecourse in Australia.

Green Moon will be tested in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes over about seven furlongs. The race has drawn a field of 10, including All Too Hard, a half-brother to the undefeated sprint star Black Caviar. All Too Hard, 4, won the Group 1 C.F. Orr Stakes over seven furlongs in his 2013 debut Feb. 9.

Green Moon, 6, was fifth in his last appearance in a sprint, the Group 2 Memsie Stakes over seven furlongs at Caulfield last September.

There are three other runners from the 2012 Melbourne Cup in the Futurity Stakes – Niwot (who was 15th), Lights of Heaven (16th), and Maluckyday (19th).

The Futurity Stakes is one of three Group 1 races on Saturday’s Caulfield program.

The unbeaten filly Miracles of Life makes her group stakes debut, and fourth career start, in the $1,030,000 Patinack Farm Blue Diamond Stakes over about six furlongs on turf. The Blue Diamond Stakes is for Southern Hemisphere 2-year-old fillies.

Barakey, unbeaten in 11 starts in western Australia, makes his eastern Australia debut in the $412,000 Oakleigh Plate over 5 1/2 furlongs. The Oakleigh Plate field of 14 includes Ortensia, winner of the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes in England last August and a multiple stakes winner in Australia earlier in her career.

Ortensia, 8, won the Al Quoz Sprint on the Dubai World Cup undercard at Meydan Racecourse last March.