David Brideoake has snatched his second Group One victory, as Peter Moody tries to get approval to transfer horses to his fellow Victorian trainer.
Brideoake pulled off a smash-and-grab victory at Rosehill on Saturday, with his only runner on Golden Slipper day Griante pulling off an upset win in the Galaxy Stakes.
Griante
The five-year-old pounced late for Craig Williams and she raced clear to beat the fast-finishing Shiraz by three quarters of a length with Dothraki taking the minor placing, a further half length away.
“She is a wonderful mare and she was unlucky in the Oakleigh Plate but that’s just fabulous today, it was a terrific ride and the mare really tried hard,” Brideoake said.
The win, Brideoake’s first success at the top level since the 2008 WA Derby, came as media reports suggested Moody is considering quitting the sport when his six-month suspension for cobalt offences starts on Thursday.
Moody is believed to have been making plans for Brideoake to take over his stables, with Racing Victoria’s approval needed for any transfer.
Brideoake has a long association with Moody, but after Griante’s success said he was unable to focus on anything but the win.
“I’ve had 10 years where Pete’s had quite a lot of horses with me in a pre-training role,” Brideoake said.
“We’ll just see what happens over the next few days.
“There’s a bit going on, but at the end of the week we’ll work all that out.”
Moody would not confirm or deny the reports, but is expected to make an announcement on Monday, saying he needed to contact all his owners.
