Moody’s number two jockey was Linda Meech, with 293 wins. To that point of this season, Nolen had 31 winners, 25 of them for Moody. Those sorts of stats baffle the trainer, who merely counts his blessings that Nolen is considered “unfashionable” by others. Whether it was “Bairnsdale or Flemington”, Moody says, Nolen gets the job done, as well as being a “team player” unhesitant to suggest another jockey if he felt it was needed. “As a rider, I’d back Luke against anyone,” Moody wrote in his autobiography. “There were other blokes with superior records … but Luke was the perfect jockey for me, because we just had a great relationship.” Nolen, who confesses to “not selling myself well enough” to other stables, concurs. “Everyone’s pretty quick to jump off each other, both trainers and jockeys, but we’re just very loyal to each other,” Nolen says. “We’re probably a throwback to the old ways in that a little bit. We’ve been down a long dusty road together, and into a few dusty dry creek beds in between the good times, but we’ve weathered the storms together. “But we’ve still got some unfinished business. I didn’t think we’d ever get to 850 winners, but now that’s only 150 off a thousand. While there’s a goal and a hunger together, we’ll keep going.”
Black Caviar and Luke Nolen winning the 2013 Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning, her third in succession. (Racing Photos)
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