Despite his reduced stable numbers and his growing emphasis on his Sydney training arm,
Peter Moody has made another terrific start to the 2013-14 racing season and on Wednesday, Peter prepared his
100th winner when Angel's Beach won at Caulfield.
Only three other trainers to have cracked the century barrier so far this season. They are
Peter Snowden, Darren Weir and
Chris Waller.
Whilst Group 1 wins might have been a bit lean in the past few months since Black Caviar retired last Autumn and now his stranglehold on the Melbourne trainers premiership could be about to end, simply because he doesn't have the physical numbers to match those Darren Weir has on his books, the always upbeat Peter Moody could still see there was one major silver lining to his slower pace. That is, his mobile phone no longer rings incessantly from the media pack that once dogged his every step, wanting to know the ins and outs of the super mare.
But Peter Moody is adamant there is life after Black Caviar.
It's quieter these days he says, there's certainly less pressure and scrutiny on him than there was when Black Caviar was racing 10 months ago and importantly, he's back to being able to enjoy his work of training quality thoroughbreds.
That said, Moody enjoyed the Black Caviar era, too. He handled the burden of expectation that came with training the world's best racehorse better that most and wouldn't swap the glorious four-year unbeaten run he had with the great sprinter for anything.
Black Caviar won all 25 races, 15 at Group 1 level, leaving the racetrack with an everlasting legacy as one of the all-time greats of Australian and world racing.
Peter Moody is only 44 but has already secured his place in racing history as Black Caviar's trainer.
The trainer, raised at Charleville in outback Queensland, took his once-in-a-lifetime racehorse to worldwide prominence, culminating when Moody was introduced to Queen Elizabeth II at Royal Ascot.
But Peter gave a telling insight into the crushing pressures he was experiencing when preparing Black Caviar for Royal Ascot through Gerard Whateley's book, Black Caviar - The Horse of a Lifetime.
"I didn't realise how much the pressure had been brewing up inside me until I got back from Royal Ascot,'' Moody stated.
"For 12 months we have planned for the fastest horse in the world, to win the biggest sprint race in Europe, at the most famous racecourse on the planet. Expectations were enormous. I'd been driven mad by media on both sides of the world."
"I've always said there's no pressure on me. I'm copping this easy. I don't worry about myself as long as there is bread and butter on the table and a beer in the fridge."
"Funny thing is, when I got back from England I'd never slept so good in years. I wasn't tired during the day and I was so much more relaxed."
"I thought it wasn't worrying me. But obviously it was.''
Black Caviar's last race was her unforgettable win in the T.J. Smith Stakes at Royal Randwick last April, her retirement leaving a massive void in Moody's stable.
Moody always knew this would be the case - you just can't replace Black Caviar - but he rode that wave of success with the mighty mare for as long as he could.
In the four seasons Black Caviar raced, Moody won the Melbourne trainers premiership each year, was twice the nation's leading Group 1 trainer, and prepared 195, 196, 210 and 202 nationwide winners respectively in each of those years.
But Moody was setting a pace off the track, almost as fast as Black Caviar could run - and inevitably it was going to take a toll.
"It was very hectic for about five years and it is difficult to keep that going,'' Peter admitted.
"I'm a one-man band and I haven't got the back-up that the bigger stables have, which makes it so much harder."
"So I've done the sensible thing and wound things down a fair, bit, horse numbers-wise. It is someone else's turn now to take over."
"You have Darren Weir, he is having his good trot, Waller is doing the same.
"But I can safely assure both, it doesn't last forever because unless you have a big organisation behind you, if you don't then, you will burn out.''
When asked if his days of winning premierships are over - Darren Weir is on 35 wins and leads Peter Moody by 12 in the Melbourne trainers title this season - Moody was circumspect.
"I'm happy to win another one but I don't have the firepower (number of horses in training) this year,'' Moody said.
"I have been experimenting with Sydney (his Randwick satellite stable), so it comes down to a numbers game - I have to be realistic.''
Moody has 25 boxes at Randwick and they are filled by extremely well credentialed Hunter Valley bred horses, that are all eligible for the big BOBS Bonuses that Peter Moody recognises he simply must target to earn the money for his owners.
So that leaves a huge hole in his Melbourne stables, when much of the cream (the heart and soul of his stables) relocated to Sydney.
When Black Caviar hysteria was at its pinnacle last year, Moody mused that he could see himself training for about another 10 years then walking away from the often brutal demands the sport places on industry participant's time and family life.
Moody isn't so sure about that statement now. "I'll worry about that down the track - I'm just taking each day as it comes,'' he said.
Moody is still cranking out the winners and now, he is keen to get back into Gr1 winning mode.
Moody is a realist and understands everyone experiences ups and downs in racing, it is the nature of our sport and business.
extracts from the Daily Telegraph 7/2/14
Peter Moody is an important Team Member for Dynamic Syndications. We have a great working relationship and work closely together at yearling sales and in racehorse management to ensure that our mutual clients gain the maximum enjoyment for their investment.
Some of the stables have become machines rather than personal hands-on men of true horse husbandry skills.
Having access to your trainer is paramount in the syndications business. Clients need to be kept up to date with what is happening with their horse on a constant arrangement. We find Peter Moody fantastic with communication. He takes the time to call and have a chat and describe whats happening and give a full rundown of your horse's progress. Alternatively, we can call Peter and his response is superb to any questions asked of him.
That is what the art of training is all about. Horse husbandry and communications with clients. Not becoming so big that the owners are lost in favour of media commitments. Having large numbers of horses may lead to domination of race results but that may not necessarily be the best outcome for individual owners or their horse. Owners are important and that's not lost on Peter Moody.
That's why we value Peter Moody as a trainer and consider him such an asset to our team.