Apprentice Ben Vassallo returned to city racing with a winner at Warwick Farm on Wednesday, four months after breaking his ankle at the same track.
Vassallo went into the meeting confident of victory aboard the Guy Walter-trained Millenium Ruler in the Rotary Club of Liverpool Handicap (1100m).
But the race came down to a photo finish and the 28-year-old Vassallo had to wait patiently to be declared the winner with Millenium Ruler’s margin over runner-up Earnest Ernest only a nose.
Vassallo had two previous wins aboard Millenium Ruler but the pair had finished second five times, four of them when beaten a neck or less.
“I did think I got there in time but I always kept in the back of my head that I’ve been beaten in a lot of photo finishes, especially on this horse,” Vassallo said.
“It was great when his number went up and hopefully that gives me a nice kick along.”
Vassallo was dumped from the Walter-trained Skateboard shortly after the start of a race in January, breaking his left ankle and tearing his achilles tendon.
“It was three months off trackwork and four months off races,” said Vassallo, who is set to finish his apprenticeship in September.
“This horse was a professional placegetter for a while there but I was lucky to get the opportunity on him in a race at Warwick Farm last October and he won and then he won again at Canterbury at his next start.
“Being apprenticed to Guy, I’ve been lucky enough to ride this horse in work ahead of his return today and thankfully he got my weight and I was able to ride him.”
Millenium Ruler’s narrow victory over Earnest Ernest was the four-year-old gelding’s third win from 14 starts.
He has finished second on nine occasions.
Vassallo had made his return from injury at the provincials recently but was thrilled to make the most of another opportunity in town.
His victory over Earnest Ernest denied jockey Christian Reith a treble with Reith having earlier won aboard Purrfect for trainer Joe Pride and Flying Hope for Kris Lees.
Trainer Peter Snowden and jockey Kerrin McEvoy also notched a winning double with two-year-old filly Coins and three-year-old stayer Tunes.
The day wasn’t so kind to Nathan Berry who copped his sixth careless riding suspension in the past 12 months for interference on the home turn aboard Falconer in the second race.
Berry was handed a seven meeting ban which starts after Saturday’s Rosehill meeting.
He is free to return to the saddle on May 25.
