A huge day in Sydney for trainer Peter Moody has been complemented by a milestone win at Bendigo.
Group One winner Fat Al’s success in the Golden Mile came after a double in Sydney to Moody highlighted by Dissident’s Group One Randwick Guineas win.
And Fat Al’s determined win on a deteriorating track also brought up a milestone 700th winner for the combination of Moody and stable jockey Luke Nolen who have scaled the heights of Australian racing.
“It’s good to knock off number 700. I’m pretty chuffed,” Nolen said.
“It’s been a hell of a ride and I’ve got to thank Peter Moody. He threw me a lifeline 11 years ago and it’s really snowballed from there.”
The Golden Mile was delayed for an hour because of an electrical storm, forcing a track downgrade.
Nolen admitted it was Fat Al’s class that shone through as he sat close to the speed and kept finding in the soft conditions to hold out Bel Thor ($17) by a length with Bass Strait ($7.50) a short half-head away third.
Fat Al ($11), formerly trained by Gai Waterhouse, snapped a long absence from the winners’ stall with his first victory since the Group One Epsom in 2012.
“He’s a classy horse and he had to be classy then to win because he probably wasn’t appreciating the track all that much,” Nolen said.
“He did a good job and it was his class that probably dragged him most of the way there.”
Moody and Nolen also combined in the opening race with Splash Of Moet scoring in her first start for the premier Melbourne trainer.
“Pete’s up there making money in Sydney and I’ve got to make my own here,” Nolen quipped.
The George Osborne-trained Written Up claimed a narrow win in the day’s other feature, the Listed Bendigo Guineas, while two-year-old Eloping spaced her rivals by six lengths in the $250,000 Vobis GOld Rush.
