Peter Moody, collaborating with Katherine Coleman in training, has captured the Group 1 The Goodwood (1200m) again, matching his 2012 conquest with the legendary Black Caviar after 14 years.
Luke Nolen handled the steering on each occasion, where Black Caviar’s 1.3 length score was modest for her, but Desert Lightning’s verdict hung in the balance for the Morphettville throng.
In the finish, $18 outsider and six-year-old gelding Desert Lightning repelled favourite Extragalactic ($3.50) by a head, with Grand Larceny ($17) the same margin away in third.
The gelding, once entered in the 2400m New Zealand Derby, has operated primarily at 1400-1600m locally, according to Coleman, who credited his spaced schedule and lively condition.
“He’s so quirky, he’s got so much character,” Coleman said.
“He’s an older gelding, normally, they’re the quiet ones that know their job and they don’t cause too much fuss.
“Well, he carries on out there like a two-year-old, a cult most mornings and upsets other horses on the track and bounces around the stable.
“We thought he was going to be a horse that would stretch out over ground as well, but he just seems he’s best when he’s fresh and happy and bouncing, and that’s how he is today, so it’s great and a fantastic ride from Luke Nolen as well.”
Nolen lurked towards the rear before veering to superior footing broadside in the straight, retaining the verdict by a whisker despite Extragalactic’s powerful finish that eluded Trent Edmonds and Luke Cartwright’s initial Group One.
“That drone kept following me around everywhere,” Nolen said.
“I thought, oh, it must be a bloody chance.
“Lukey Cartwright, he does a bit of work for Moody. He’s a great little kid, his time is going to come, he’s at the start of his career, I’m a long way towards the end of mine.
“So I’m getting every one of these good races I can before we knock up time.”
“The horse has been going really well, so I think the next port of call is Queensland for another go at the Stradbroke.
“He sprinted well then on soft ground, there’s a lot of options for him, so I’ll leave it in the camp’s capable hands the way he goes off the back of it, but I’ll be joining him wherever he goes.”
Punters can find excellent betting sites offering odds on The Goodwood and future targets.