Cecily Eaton's training methods inspired by Peter Moody

By Jordan Gerrans

In a week where the great Peter Moody’s sparkling career has been up in lights, one of his former apprentices has detailed her passion for training that she derived from her old master. 

Queensland hoop Cecily Eaton was indentured to Moody earlier in their careers before the multiple Group 1-conditioner relocated his operation to Melbourne.

Moody paid homage to his humble beginnings in the bush as he was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame during Sunday’s awards ceremony in Brisbane.

While Moody is still at the peak of his powers in the training game, Eaton is just starting a new venture as a conditioner after decades as a rider. 

She has recently taken out a dual licence and had her maiden runner in a race at Ipswich in the middle of last month. 

Eaton’s The Immortals will have his second run for her fledgling team this weekend as the galloper is accepted for three separate race meetings. 

Eaton was offered the chance to follow Moody to Melbourne all those years ago but remained in the Sunshine State.

“I credit my determination and hardworking traits from Peter, if I am being honest,” she said.

“He was a hard guy to work for because he expects perfection.

“How I want to train now, I take those traits and little things he used to do, as well as what Kelso Wood did with his horses.

“Kelso was also a very good trainer.”

As well as the late mentor Wood and Moody, Eaton also attributes the strong influence of John Hawkes on her training methods. 

Racing And Sports’ statistics detail Eaton riding five winners for Australian Racing Hall of Famer Hawkes as she recalls that she was one of the first female riders the master trainer booked in a race. 

The well-travelled hoop has been riding in races for nearly three decades and she says the timing just felt right to take out the dual licence. 

She has a touch over 370 career winners in the saddle as she goes searching for her first as a trainer. 

Eaton’s partner Scott Duncan purchased galloper The Immortals online from the Chris Calthorpe camp in Victoria and the rest is history. 

“I got to the stage where I wanted more,” Eaton said around taking out the double licence.

“I have picked up plenty of information from the trainers that I have worked for over the years.

“I got the licence over a year ago and I wanted to do it properly; I didn’t want to jump straight in and get a horse straight away.

“I wanted to know I was ready to take that avenue and do it professionally. I have ridden for some really good trainers over the years and thought I could do this.”

After a trial at Eagle Farm and Deagon, the four-year-old gelding finished ninth in a maiden at Ipswich in his first start in Queensland. 

Georgina Cartwright did the steering for Eaton on that occasion at the Bundamba facility.

The newly-minted trainer says the occasion didn’t quite hit her until just before the event. 

“I wasn’t nervous until I grabbed the saddle and it hit me,” Eaton said.

“I thought, this is me that has to put the saddle on as well as making sure the horse comes home in good order.

“You are going back twice a day to look after this horse whereas as a jockey, you hand the reins to the trainer and just walk away.

“It would be a good learning experience for every jockey to train a horse as there is so much more to it than you think.

“I thought it was going to be easier than what it is, it is very taxing. It is a credit to all the trainers because it is hard work.”

Eaton is keen to get her galloper up over more ground and has him entered for a 1400 metre Maiden Plate at Caloundra on Friday evening as well as a 1500 metre race at Kilcoy on Sunday.

If the son of I Am Immortal is to head to Caloundra on Friday, Eaton will ride her own galloper for the first time in a race from a wide draw.

“He is a nice horse to start off with as a trainer as he is pretty quiet and he does everything right,” she said.

“That makes my job easier.

“The horse will have a run somewhere this weekend as he needs a run because I am looking at a race at Beaudesert or Dalby in about a fortnight.

“He needs some fitness. I think he will want a mile to 1800 metres eventually.”

Eaton says she is comfortable with one horse to prepare for herself, on top of her race riding duties as well as riding trackwork at Deagon, and isn’t overly keen to expand her own stable to big numbers.

She rides work for Jack Bruce, Neil Hocking and Darren Bell, among others, at the northern Brisbane venue on a regular basis.