Gold Coast trainer Melissa Leitch goes up against former mentor Robert Heathcote

A PIECE of advice given to her by trainer Robert Heathcote has helped shape Melissa Leitch’s own career.

Gold Coast trainer Melissa Leitch with another of her horses, Three Rondavels. Photo: Richard Gosling.

A PIECE of advice given to her by trainer Robert Heathcote has helped shape Melissa Leitch’s own career.

Now the Gold Coast trainer will look to get one over her former mentor when her horse Meghapushpa lines up against Heathcote’s Five Stud Poker in the Class 1 Handicap (1200m) today.

“It’s always as competitive as anything,” Leitch said.

“We are all out to do our business and get the job done.”

Leitch spent seven years with leading Eagle Farm trainer Heathcote and travelled around the country with stable stars Buffering, Solzhenitsyn and Woorim.

She then spent a year with Steven Burridge in Singapore before going out on her own on the Gold Coast in 2014.

WATCH MEGHAPUSHPA WIN IN HER LAST START

Leitch said some words of wisdom from Heathcote still formed the backbone of her own training career.

“Rob always said, ‘just keep it simple and go back to the basics if you’re in doubt’,” Leitch said.

“You can get a bit frustrated at times but you just keep it simple and you will be pretty right.

“With the way we did things and working with good horses you are always learning something.

“Even today, you can’t stop learning.

“There are different ways people do things and it was the same when I had a year or so in Singapore.

“That was just another learning curve. It’s been a good grounding for what I’m doing now.”

Melissa Leitch spent seven years working with leading Eagle Farm trainer Robert Heathcote (pictured). Photo: Darren England.

Meghapushpa, the $2.20 favourite with UBET yesterday, will begin her third preparation today in a career that has had as many trainers.

The four-year-old mare’s owners approached Leitch about taking on their horses after watching her rising star Honour’n’strength beat Meghapushpa by a small margin at a maiden at Eagle Farm in December last year.

Meghapushpa won her next start at the Sunshine Coast before joining Leitch’s stables.

Leitch said Meghapushpa’s performance against Honour’n’strength – a three-year-old she expects to race at Group level – played a big part in her decision to take on the mare.

“I have a very big opinion of (Honour’n’strength) so I took that into account a lot,” she said.

Leitch said Meghapushpa would be hard to beat today after being impressed with her work in recent weeks.

“She is looking good. I’ve happy with her and pleased with where she is at,” Leitch said.

“I think she will be hard to beat. She has taken a little bit to come up but I’m really happy with her.