After making Sydney his home for the past five years, premier jockey Nash Rawiller finally got to savour victory in the city’s flagship race at Rosehill on Saturday.
Rawiller was lured to Sydney by trainer Gai Waterhouse in 2007 and on Saturday the pair combined with outstanding colt Pierro to win the $3.5 million Golden Slipper (1200m).
Only three years earlier, Rawiller’s Melbourne-based brother Brad tasted success in the world’s richest race for two-year-olds on Phelan Ready.
“My brother won it a few years ago and he just came up basically from Melbourne and won it on the day,” Rawiller said.
“I don’t think he realised how much this race means to us.
“This is what we work all year for. He knows now because I well and truly told him over a few drinks that night.
“It’s just outstanding to win it.”
The closest Rawiller had previously gone in the Slipper was third in 2009 on the Waterhouse-trained Manhattan Rain.
The Slipper gave the dual Sydney premiership-winning jockey his 41st Group One after he notched number 40 earlier in the day on the Waterhouse-trained More Joyous in the Queen Of The Turf Stakes.
Pierro had stamped himself as a class colt from the first two-year-old race of the season in Sydney when he won the Listed Breeders’ Plate.
He took an unbeaten record into the Slipper and Rawiller rode him with confidence from the inside barrier.
“Outstanding, wasn’t he?” the delighted hoop said as he celebrated the Slipper win.
“He made his own luck today.”
Rawiller elected to take a sit behind leader Snitzerland, ridden by Corey Brown, and said he was confident a long way from home so long as the breaks came his way.
“I was pretty confident a long way out,” he said.
“It’s as confident as what you would see me ride, I reckon.
“I was pretty happy to be where I was and how it all panned out.”
