Scott Galloway made a triumphant return to race riding aboard Betican at Doomben on Wednesday almost three months after a family tragedy.
In November last year, Galloway and his partner Lisa Cuddihy suffered a devastating loss with the death of their 18-month-old son Charlie in a freak accident at Hope Island on the Gold Coast.
After receiving tremendous support from the racing community including his fellow jockeys, Galloway felt the time was right to return to riding at Doomben.
“I would’ve been back riding a bit earlier but I had to make sure my family was okay before I came back,” Galloway said.
“The time off also gave me a chance to cope with everything and get better as well.
“It was a big milestone just turning up today, let alone winning, and I’m very appreciative of the support and the respect I’ve received from everyone.”
Galloway believes Betican can continue to improve as he steps up in journey.
“He’s always been a horse with nice talent and he’ll be even better when he gets over more ground,” he said.
Meanwhile, trainer Tony Gollan believes talented mare Pure Purrfection can measure up in black type company following her win in the Mount Franklin Sparkling Handicap (1020m).
“She’s way better than midweek company, even though that was a pretty strong field she beat today,” Gollan said.
“I’m sure she’s a stakes grade horse and I think she’ll have no trouble running six furlongs (1200m) as well.”
Gollan believes a crucial gear change has worked wonders for Pure Purrfection after the mare was inclined to mix her form early in her career.
“We couldn’t work out why she was so inconsistent but the key to turning her form around came when we put a crossover noseband on her,” Gollan said.
“She was displacing her palate and choking herself down in races but we made the gear change and since we started to ride her quietly she’s become a very consistent mare.”
