Vlad is in a mood to repay pal Peter
Peter Moody helped jockey Vlad Duric in his time of need during his riding days in Victoria, now the Singapore sensation wants to repay the Group 1-winning trainer in the Gold Coast Guineas on Saturday.
Duric was a regular for Moody during his halcyon days before making his way to Singapore and has since established himself back as a force to be reckoned with in Queensland ahead of the winter carnival.
It is Duric’s connection to Moody that has landed him on Roll On High in the Group 3 Gold Coast Guineas (1200m) at the transferred Sunshine Coast meeting on Saturday, with the jockey declaring the filly one of his best rides of the day.
“Pete has been like a big brother to me,” Duric said.
“Luke (Nolen) was the number one for Pete, but I was on the list and rode plenty of Group winners for him. When (wife) Storm and I were struggling paying off our mortgage and putting food on the table, Pete was amazing to us. I have a real soft spot for Moods and that horse is actually owned by Rob Slade, who Wendy Kelly trained for – I rode a lot of winners for those owners, it is nice to put those silks back on.
“She is a balance up filly, she is better off with this barrier than an inside one. I really like her in this race, she is one of my better rides for the weekend.”
It comes as Duric will look to get champion trainer Tony Gollan another Stradbroke Handicap runner in the form of Freedom Rally, who resumes in the Listed ATC Trophy (1200m). Duric was called up to ride Antino last week and produced a gem to win the Group 2 Victory Stakes and nab favouritism for the Stradbroke as well.