Extragalactic’s drive for Group 1 success is set to ignite this Saturday in the $750,000 Moir Stakes at Sandown.

The four-year-old mare, trained by Pakenham’s Trent Edmonds, will make her seasonal debut after a near miss in The Goodwood, where she was beaten a nose by Desert Lightning over the 1000-metre weight-for-age trip.

The Goodwood result was a tough blow for Edmonds, but it has only intensified his determination for the Deep Field filly to claim a major race victory.

Edmonds is of the firm opinion that Extragalactic has improved during her time away from the track.

“I think she’s going better and I couldn’t have her any better for a first-up effort – she’s really on song and she’s right in the spot,” he declared.

“I’m really confident that I’ve got the right horse going there and she’s in the right space.

“She’s filling me with confidence, she’s really well and I can’t have any better.”

The Moir Stakes will be only the eighth race start for Extragalactic, who has achieved three wins and three second placings in her previous seven outings.

She is aiming to secure Edmonds’ first solo Black Type win since his split with his father Toby, a partnership that saw them win the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap with Tyzone in 2020.

The Queensland trainer took up residence at Pakenham in the middle of the 2023/24 season, which was also around the time he purchased Extragalactic for $160,000 at the Magic Millions’ Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

She was the only yearling Edmonds selected at the 2024 edition of the prestigious sale.

As the second foal from the Al Maher mare Alliterate, Extragalactic’s immediate family doesn’t boast a long list of Black Type winners, but some notable names appear further back in her pedigree.

Her fourth dam, What Price Glory, is a half-sister to Steam Heat, who is the granddam of The Everest winner Yes Yes Yes and the Group 1 winner In Her Time (victorious in the Black Caviar Lightning and The Galaxy).

These strong bloodlines, coupled with her physical presence, made Extragalactic a must-have prospect for Edmonds.

“She just looked sharp,” he said, reflecting on his first impression.

“She wasn’t overly big, but she was a good athlete that had a really good, long, fluent walk and great hind quarter.

“I thought, ‘alright, you’re obviously a pretty good sort and you’re well put-together, even though you’re not overly big, so I’ll have a crack’.”

Extragalactic, foaled in August 2022, is considered part of the final crop sired by Deep Field.

He stood for a final season at Newgate Farm in the year Extragalactic was born, producing just seven live foals, with five of those eventually being named.

“They’re really good, versatile, tough stock and, basically, that was one of the reasons I wanted to buy her,” Edmonds commented.

“I liked the sire, I knew that he wasn’t serving anymore, or that her crop was going to be one of his last full teams, and she was in my price range.”

While not initially planned, Extragalactic will commence her preparation in the Moir Stakes without a lead-up run, having been withdrawn from the Group 3 Carlyon Stakes (1000m) on August 22 due to the Heavy track conditions.

The decision was not driven by an inability to handle a wet track, which remains a possibility for this weekend, but rather a strategic move to avoid a heavy surface for her preparatory start.

“I scratched her from the Carlyon purely because I didn’t want to rip the guts out of her first-up at 1000, knowing that my first big target for the preparation was in two weeks’ time,” Edmonds explained.

“I wasn’t running away from the Heavy, I was trying to protect her and have her cherry ripe this week rather than trying to patch her back up after a Heavy track run.”

Extragalactic has recorded second placings in both her starts on Soft tracks, including The Goodwood which was run on a Soft 6. Deep Field is known for siring capable wet-track performers, boasting a 34.2 percent winners-to-runners ratio and a 16 percent winning strike-rate on Heavy tracks.

Fancy a flutter? Check out the available betting markets for the race at the Moir Stakes.