PREMIER trainer Peter Moody broke an unusually long drought of city winners when his consistent Club Command won Heat 6 of the Winter Championship Series at Flemington.
The trainer, who was in Brisbane yesterday for the last Group 1 race of the season, is on target to win his fourth consecutive Victorian Metropolitan Trainers' Premiership. He now has 66 city wins, far fewer than in recent years.
His record at Flemington this season went to eight wins, but he has endured 20 seconds and 14 thirds, many of them missing out in photo finishes.
Club Command is one of them. The four year old Commands gelding was beaten a head last start by Bello over 1200m at Flemington, but came up trumps yesterday at $4.40 by only a nose.
''He is honest and he puts his heart on the line every time he races,'' said Moody-stable representative James Horton.
''He deserves this win, but we are not sure if he will be back for the final in a fortnight (given he has stepped up from 1200m to 1400m and would need to salute over 1600m in the final),'' Horton said.
The win provided jockey Daniel Stackhouse with a double, having earlier saluted on Lady Lakshmi in the Ken Cox Handicap.
He took Club Command to the lead and kicked with 400m of the 1410m race remaining, leaving many rivals flat-footed. His vigorous riding was enough to snare the prize, beating the fast-finishing Another Prelate ($11), with Under The Hat ($16) a length and a half away third.
The $4.20 favourite, That's The One, finished a head away in fourth.
While Moody could celebrate a rare recent win, there was more excitement in the runner-up stall.
Another Prelate is owned by members of the Bourke family and they were there in force on the day of the David Bourke Provincial Plate, a race named in the honour of the former VRC chairman.
David's niece, committee member Judge Katherine Bourke, had looked forward to presenting the winner's trophy of the Winter Championship heat to her relations.
Article by ROD NICHOLSON HERALD SUN JUNE 22, 2013 Points Table after Heat 6
