Our gifted sprinter FLYINGCONI put an 11-race run of outs behind him when he grabbed his first win in 18-months at Moonee Valley on Saturday, storming from the back of the field to take The Peak Handicap (1200m) at massive odds of $26.
It is fair to say that Flingconi has presented Shea with a more than a few challenges in the last 12 months, constantly plagued by slow run races and traffic problems.
But Shea knew that the horse was still capable of racing to his best, all that he needed was a bit of luck.
"I did all his times and kept comparing them to his wins at Flemington in the summer of 2012 and they were almost the same to those wins, the problem was that he was running those times from near last in slow run races. It's impossible for him to win under those circumstances," Shea said.
"I told the owners to be patient and stick with him, one owner sold out but thankfully the others stuck by me and the horse."
"He finally got a race run to suit and it was brilliant to see him win like he did today, he's a genuine Saturday class horse at his best."
Saturday's win was Flyingconi's 5th from 18 starts and his third city win. The victory takes his prize money to over $170,000 which is a great return for the horse's connections.
"When I asked him to pick up, he really answered me well. He's a Saturday class horse and he can keep winning if the speed is on like it was today," said winning rider Vlad Duric.
Congratulations to all the owners, Bruce Bugg, Vince del Nigro, Kent Eden, Glenn Trimble.