Well-related filly Zellindi provided her trainer with a landmark victory and her mother with another offspring to be proud of with her win in Saturday’s DPOS Displays Handicap (1000m) at Moonee Valley.
For Cranbourne handler Shea Eden, the win was his first with a two-year-old in town and came after he had been instrumental in helping other trainers to collect wins with horses he had pre-trained or broken in.
Zellindi winning the dpos Displays Handicap at Moonee Valley - photo by Race Horse Photos Australia
It also proved significant for the winning mare Emilydelago whose son Shanghai Warrior won the Group Two Aurie’s Star Stakes at Flemington last spring.
Zellindi ($9.50) raced outside the leader and favourite Calcatta ($2.50) until turning for home and then dashed clear, setting up an unassailable lead to win by a half length.
Laguna Vista ($10) finished a distant.
“She’s been given a bit of time but she’s tough and really thriving on the workload,” Eden said.
Jockey Nathan Rose joined the trainer in praising Zellindi who he said had shown promise from the time she joined the stable.
“Right from the start the stable has had a good opinion of her,” Rose said.
“She had a good acceleration when I asked her to quicken and to be honest, I probably pressed the button too soon.”
The return journey to the top rank of Melbourne trainers continued for David Hayes at Moonee Valley with the victory of Friday Hussy in the Medownick Laser Handicap (2040m).
It also emphasised the price Hayes’ talented apprentice Chad Schofield will inevitably pay for yet another costly suspension incurred last weekend.
Friday Hussy ($7.50) made it two wins in end, scoring by three-quarters of a length from Blue Ribbon ($4.40) with Oriental Ruby ($4.40)a further head away third.
Schofield would have been on Friday Hussy had he not been suspended for 27 meetings last Saturday for improper riding, his ninth ban in the past six months.
