Moody double ups

Scott Seamer smiles for the camera after picking up the Group 1 Queensland Oaks on Riva San (Noel Pascoe photo)

Peter Moody and his former stable riders Scott Seamer and Jim Byrne joined forces in producing two wins for the ex-Queenslander on one of the biggest days of the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival calendar.

Moody’s biggest win came in the Group 1 race for three-year-old fillies. Seamer timed his run perfectly on Riva San (F3 Any Given Sunday-Best River) to win the Group 1 Conrad Treasury Queensland Oaks 2400m despite challenges from Rathsallagh (Mark Zahra) and race-favourite Heavenly Glow (Robert Thompson).

Glimpses of the filly’s form in Spring shone through for connections as she paid dividends for punters at odds of $26.

Moody’s other win came in the Listed The Conrad Treasury Brisbane Plate (3YO) 1400m with Tan Tat de Lago, this time ridden by Byrne. But picking up a Group 1 win in his home state was a welcomed victory for Moody.

“For me it’s a home-coming. It’s my home state and I was fortunate enough to win the Cup and the Sires last year and to win the Oaks is very good,” Moody said.

“I think she’s gone beyond all our expectations. The sky’s the limit. We’ll see where we can take her.”

Former Queensland trainer Peter Moody

Seamer also teamed up with Riva San in the Group 2 Wakeful Stakes 2000m in Spring last year to run a close second.

“The filly’s been in great form. The last two runs she hasn’t had a lot of luck. You go back to last Spring, she ran second in the Wakeful Stakes and outside of the ruling favourite, most of these horses got a run in the Wakeful Stakes so we were confident she’d run well,” Moody said.

“The other filly (Heavenly Glow) had a long campaign and this is a race we were aimed at and that might have been the difference in the end, but we’ll take it.”

Jockey Luke Nolen was set to take the ride on Riva San but was injured two weeks earlier in a race fall and Seamer picked up the job.

“Scott and I have had a lot of luck. I know he’s had his knockers the last few years,” Moody said.

“You know its nice to come home – Jimmy Byrne and Scott Seamer, my two old stable riders, got a couple home for me on the day when it counts. He’s a big race rider, S. Seamer, he knocks and gets his pots, but when the job needs to be done, he’s there.

“It doesn’t matter, for me he’ll go to Warrnambool, he’ll go to Darwin. It’s nice to reward them and that’s his second

Jim Byrne secures the Brisbane Plate with Tan Tat de Lago (Noel Pascoe photo)

Group 1 winner for me. He won the Salinger Stakes (1200m) on Ancient Song five years ago. Whenever we’re short at home, he’s the first one on a plane to help.”

Moody’s win with Tan Tat de Lago (F3 Encosta de Lago-Tan Tat Star) was with some early concern after the horse hesitated at the start and left mid field despite drawing well in barrier two.

But Byrne was confident the run for the filly was down the middle of the track and timed his sprint for the line perfectly chasing down race-favourite Royal Discretion (Corey Brown) for the win. Tan Tat de Lago finished a clear three-quarters of a length ahead of Royal Discretion with Vandalo (Steven Arnold) a further two and three-quarters of a length behind in third. 

“Jimmy obviously read the race,” Moody said. “He said to me before the race he said I know we’ve drawn two he said, but whatever I do I need to get to the middle of the track to win it, so full credit to him too.

“He rode out what he set out to do. He said, I don’t care where I am I’m doing a left hand turn at the top of the straight, I need to be in the middle to be winning so good luck to him too.”

Moody will send Tan Tat de Lago to the paddock for a rest before resuming as a four-year-old in Spring.

QUEENSLAND Racing web news: Claire Power – June 3