3 minute read

The luckless run of Ghodeleine has finally ended with a narrow win at Sandown.

Trainer Andrew Noblet had to turn away from watching his mare Ghodeleine early in the straight prior to her victory at Sandown. 

Having been unlucky in her previous outings at The Valley and Flemington, Noblet was watching history repeat in the Ladbrokes Easy Form Handicap (2100m) on Wednesday. 

Luckily for Noblet, jockey Ben Melham persevered on Ghodeleine and the $2.40 favourite got the bob in to score by a nose from dead-heaters Duke Of Plumpton ($17) and Kings Full ($10). 

"To tell the truth I took my eyes off when she was getting held up on the inside there," Noblet said. 

"I said 'not again'. Luckily, he got out and she did a good job with the weight (58.5 kg) to pick up again and get the money." 

Melham said if he had not been riding Ghodeleine, he would have wanted to look away also. 

"But I didn't have that luxury," he said. 

"She had been going really well but she hasn't had a lot of luck and you could argue that she could be unbeaten this time in. 

"When I took the ride on her I was hoping to draw any barrier other than one. 

"I landed in a good spot, what I thought was a good spot, but which turned out to be a bad spot pretty quickly straightening up. 

"She's really super honest and I had to wait, bide my time and when clear she let down with a good turn of foot and showed great fight to win." 

Noblet said Ghodeleine had been in work for some time now, adding it was hard to spell the mare. 

"She is racing very well and I wouldn't want to turn her out," Noblet said. 

"I might give her a freshen up and try and get her into a race where she can pick up some black type."