By David Nagel
Pakenham trainer Peter Moody hasn’t ruled out a step up to Group-2 level for his exciting filly Forbidden City who gave her rivals a galloping lesson at Sandown Hillside on Wednesday.
The three-year-old daughter of I Am Invincible/Palace Talk won by the length of Dandenong’s famous Princes Highway, treating her rivals with contempt to win running away by eight lengths.
Forbidden City was returning to the track from a 28-week spell, after running a close up fifth in the final of the Listed $160,000 Taj Rossi Series at Flemington in early July last year.
Moody was not surprised with the ease of Wednesday’s victory after a step-down in class to a $50,000 Maiden Plate (1300m).
“She had a bit on those, quality wise, and she’s really come on from that campaign last year…it was a shame that she missed the spring,” Moody said.
Moody raised his eyebrows, and produced a slight chuckle, when asked post-race about the tactics of jockey Blaike McDougall…who pushed the filly out to the line.
“He gave her a good sound out, probably a little bit more than I expected, but she raced the leader and then he made her round the race off,” Moody explained.
“She’ll take good improvement, both mentally and physically, away from that, we’ve got the metro win so let’s see if we can now chase some black type.”
Moody hasn’t ruled out a next-up start in the $200,000 Group-2 Angus Armanasco Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on Saturday 26 February.
“I think somewhere around the 1400 next time, and ultimately she’ll end up in a mile-type race in two or three runs time,” he said.
“I wouldn’t disregard something like the Armanasco in a couple of weeks’ time, that’s for sure.”
It was a good day for Moody and the I Am Invincible breed, with his three-year-old gelding Attractable making it a winning double for the stable in race three on the card.
Racing returns to Sandown next week on Wednesday 16 February.
