A new-look Brenton Avdulla has ended a frustrating run of outs with victory aboard the Chris Waller-trained Achiever at Randwick.
Avdulla had not ridden a metropolitan winner since Welsh Legend on Anzac Day so he decided to dye his dark hair to blonde, hoping to change his fortunes.
The ploy worked with Achiever rocketing down the outside to blouse his more fancied rivals in the Castelvecchio@Arrowfield Handicap (1400m) on Saturday.
“I haven’t ridden a city winner for about six weeks and I had someone tell me the other day that I was about none for 80,” Avdulla said
“They said, ‘are you disappointed?’ and I said, ‘not really, disappointing is when you’re going to the pub and the Uber driver goes the wrong way. That’s disappointing.
“This is just racing. We all have our runs, our ins and outs and you’ve just got to keep turning up.”
Achiever’s victory was his first in five starts but he had shown promise and finished third behind unbeaten colt Peltzer at his previous start.
Trainer Chris Waller said the addition of blinkers a couple of starts ago had made a difference and only his defeat by Peltzer had ruled him out of a Brisbane trip for the JJ Atkins Stakes.
“He will be the type we can aim at a race like the Spring Champion Stakes in the spring,” Waller said.
“He was on our JJ Atkins team until he ran third last start and just missed the cut.
“He has always shown us ability which is why we still have him up and going.”
Waller also revealed Hugh Bowman had the choice of rides between Achiever and stablemate Yangtze Rapids, who finished sixth, and picked the latter.
Achiever ($8.50) scored by more than three lengths over $101 outsider Street Dancer with Pyrmont ($7.50) another half-length away.
Favourite Acrophobic led and weakened to finish last but was later found to be suffering from heart arrhythmia and will be spelled.
