Moody trained a stayer name of Shephard to win a BM 78 race at Ballarat, so he might be on the comeback trail, right in the early stages.
Moody was heard to say, “I just want the bloody horse to win because I need the prizemoney.”
Shephard was not bloody in the true sense of the word, although it was alleged mistreatment of horses that caused Moody to stand himself down and head for the border with the stewards, armed with torches and pitchforks and well-supplied with tar and feathers, hot on his trail over cobalt allegations.
Shephard was Moody’s first runner in four years and his first runner was a winner. For anyone who remembers hitting a home run in his first at bat as a professional, kicking one through the pipes from the 50 in his first AFL game, or scored the deciding try in a NRL Grand Final as an undrafted rookie, winning first up after four years might be an omen Moody cannot ignore.
Shephard will not erase the name of Black Caviar in anyone’s biography of Peter Moody, but she must have earned him a fortune, as did other top line horses that won big races for Moody.
The horse was simply too good for the rest of the field and was coasting at the end to win by almost three lengths.
Shephard is owned by Moody, so he could not have needed the prizemoney all that badly.
The race was a reunion for Moody and jockey Luke Nolen.