I Wish I Win’s Gr.1 Futurity effort sets stage for autumn campaign

I Wish I Win, affectionately known as ‘Wishy’, produced a stellar first-up effort in the Gr.1 Futurity Stakes over 1400 metres at Caulfield on Saturday, 22 February giving clarity to future autumn plans for the son of Savabeel out of the Pins mare Make A Wish.

The WS-bred and part-owned dual Group 1 winner is set to race beyond 1400 metres for the first time in more than two years with co-owner and co-trainer Peter Moody confirming next month’s Gr.1 George Ryder (1500m on 22 March) as his most likely next assignment.

Moody reported to Racing.com on Tuesday that the six-year-old gelding has pulled up well from his first-up run on a Good 3 track at Caulfield last week in the Gr.1 Futurity Stakes and said a month to the Ryder Stakes at Rosehill holds plenty of appeal.

The previous time I Wish I Win ran over 1500m at Rosehill he was victorious in the Golden Eagle in 2022.

“I haven’t set it in concrete, but I say four weeks to the Ryder, rising from 1400 to 1500 metres, sounds about right,” Moody said on Tuesday.

“It (four-week break between runs) won’t hurt him. I think he needs it and it gives me the option of giving him a jump-out if I’d like, but I doubt it.”

In his first run since The Everest in September, I Wish I Win loomed to win inside the 50m of the Futurity, only to peak on his run and finish a close-up third behind Mr Brightside and Tom Kitten.

“I was happy to run him,” Moody said of the firming surface. “It (track) wasn’t a road. We don’t need it wet, but we don’t need a road and have him jarring up.

“He ran good. He ended up a pair further back than we would have liked but that was just due to circumstances and then he had to push Pinstriped out of the way and, at that level, all those little things count.

“We got beaten by two very good horses. He’s run well. It probably wasn’t a PB or anything like that, but it was just good to see him attack the line.

“From there (Ryder Stakes) we’ll see. It’s two weeks to a Doncaster (1600m), two weeks to a T.J. (Smith Stakes over 1200m) and three weeks to a Queen Elizabeth (2000m).”