Trainer John Sadler admits he is astounded by the improvement made by Flat Chat who completed a hat-trick of city wins at Moonee Valley.The Giant's Causeway five-year-old was sent out a $1.70 favourite in the Schneider Electric Hcp (1523m) and leading apprentice Jake Noonan had no hesitation in letting him take up the running.Flat Chat raced clear on the home turn and scored by six-lengths from Tasmanian Derby winner Mourinho ($10) with Oronero ($41) a length away third."It's incredible the way
Trainer John Sadler admits he is astounded by the improvement made by Flat Chat who completed a hat-trick of city wins at Moonee Valley.
The Giant's Causeway five-year-old was sent out a $1.70 favourite in the Schneider Electric Hcp (1523m) and leading apprentice Jake Noonan had no hesitation in letting him take up the running.
Flat Chat raced clear on the home turn and scored by six-lengths from Tasmanian Derby winner Mourinho ($10) with Oronero ($41) a length away third.
"It's incredible the way he's racing. He keeps on improving and I'll have to go home and have a think about him," said Sadler.
"He's a happy horse. He's a horse who doesn't like being restricted in any way, shape or form whether it be his work or in his races.
"He makes his own luck.
"We've been taking him out in his trackwork and just allowing him to work as he wants to work and he's enjoying it and he's showing this dramatic improvement."
Sadler's stable manager Troy Corstens is involved in the ownership of both Flat Chat and Saturday's Golden Slipper runner-up at $101, Mosheen, trained by his father Leon.
The gelding has won six of his 23 starts with four placings.
In-form apprentice Jason Maskiell outrode his metropolitan allowance when he guided the Robert Smerdon-trained Eclair Flyer to a narrow victory in the Friends Of Epworth Hcp (1000m).
Maskiell, 20, took his overall city tally to 80 aboard the Flying Spur gelding.
Eclair Flyer started the $2.60 favourite after the scratching at the barrier of the Team Hawkes-trained Moshe, which caused a deduction of 37 cents in the dollar with on course bookmakers.
Moshe, who had been at $2.50, was scratched by stewards on veterinary advice after he lashed out with a double-barrell kick on the back off the stalls, then got his off-hind leg caught over the back of the stalls.
Maskiell, who turns 21 in July, had his apprenticeship extended by two months this week but he intends to further extend it until August so that he can ride in the Asian Young Guns Challenge, an international apprentices series at Flemington.
Eclair Flyer sat off race leader Dark Valley and held on to edge out stablemate and topweight Lone Rock ($7.50) by a short-half-head with Dark Valley ($16) three lengths away third.
He has now won three of his five starts.
Apprentice Jacob Rule incurred at 17-meeting suspension for careless riding aboard Royal Bender in the Device Technologies Hcp (1200m).
The suspension starts at midnight on Monday and expires at midnight on April 21.