By David Nagel
Champion trainer Peter Moody and gun-jockey Linda Meech wound back the clock at Sandown Hillside on Saturday renewing a successful partnership that scaled the ultimate heights in racing.
Prior to Moody’s extended lay-off from the sport, which stretched for four years from March 2016 to early 2020, Meech was a staple of the Moody camp and rode winners for fun.
The pair had a phenomenal 25 per cent winning strike-rate together with Moody providing Meech with the first Group-1 of her career when they teamed up with Plucky Belle to win the 2015 Coolmore Classic at Rosehill.
On Saturday, at Sandown, the pair combined for their first win together since Moody returned to the sport when exciting two-year-old She Dances trounced her rivals in the opening race on the card the $130,000 Two-Year-Old Open Handicap (1000m).
Moody gave Meech an early indication that they were in for a successful day.
“He (Moody) said it would win when he rang me this morning so I was pretty happy to hear that, he’s a pretty good judge,” Meech said post-race.
“He said her work was outstanding during the week and if she ran up to that she’d win.
“She relished the (heavy) conditions…she’s only a light, fairly small horse but she’s got plenty of speed and she’s quite tough and agile.
“She’s not getting bogged down because there’s nothing of her to get bogged down.”
Meech was excited to once again where the Moody colours to victory.
“We were quite a good team and this is my first winner back since he had his break so I couldn’t be happier,” she said.
The Street Boss/Charleston Dancer filly was having her first race start, but had been well prepared for her debut assignment after gaining fitness with several jump outs.
She Dances began quickly from an inside gate and dictated terms from the front, with Meech releasing the brakes in the straight to race away for an impressive three-length victory.
Moody’s stable representative Katherine Coleman was excited by the ease of victory.
“She seems to have really enjoyed that heavy track out there today and that was a lovely debut,” Coleman said.
“She began well from the barriers and travelled in a beautiful rhythm for Linda and was able to finish it off strongly…so we’re very happy with that.”
Coleman said She Dances was a natural speed horse who loved to run fast.
“She’s one of those fillies that gets a bit cranky if you try and hold her up and do things your way, so we just have to keep her happy and keep her in a nice rhythm and Linda was able to do exactly that today,” she said.
The victory of She Dances capped off a good couple of days for Moody and his team after Allegretta won on the Ballarat Synthetic on Thursday.
