Mature-aged apprentice Andrew Stead landed his first metropolitan winners in Victoria when he landed a double in successive races at Caulfield.
The 27-year-old scored on the Tony Vasil-trained mare Ariarni ($7.50) who came from back in the field in the Wendy Smart Handicap (1200m) and followed with the Neil Dyer-trained Hawks Bay ($3.80) in the Alan Pedley Handicap (1800m).
Stead, who originally hailed from South Australia, claims 3kg in town having ridden eight city winners before Saturday in Adelaide and Brisbane including a double at Doomben.
He has been based at Wangaratta with the John Ledger stable since before Christmas after a long layoff from the saddle and has come under notice on country tracks riding around 30 winners.
“I’ve ridden winners in Adelaide and Brisbane and it’s good to get my first city winner in Victoria,” Stead said after scoring on Ariarni.
“I’ve been trying to make my way towards town a bit more now.”
Stead said he did stints with several stables as a younger apprentice including David Balfour in Adelaide, Bruce Purcell at Cranbourne, Les Ross at Eagle Farm and John Salinitri and Andrew Noblet, both at Caulfield.
“When the spring carnival was on here back in 2003 I went to Queensland but hurt my shoulder in a trackwork fall,” he said.
“I got a bit lost and had a three years off then tried to come back but my heart wasn’t really in it.”
He decided to see a bit of Australia and worked on pearl boats in Darwin for nine months and also picked grapes.
An approach to Victorian Jockeys’ Association executive officer Des O’Keeffe last year was instrumental in him making a comeback and joining the Ledger stable.
Ariarni appreciated the heavy going and, despite laying in in the closing stages, she got up by a half-neck from Charlie’s Queen with Avionics a long neck away third.
Stead let Hawks Bay, who pulled early, slide up outside the leader before going on to score by a half-length from Mega Excel with The Tiger the same margin away third.
Kyneton-based Dyer, who takes a team of horses to the Northern Territory each year, will have another shot at the Darwin Cup (2000m) in early August.
The Black Hawk five-year-old has finished runner-up in the feature the past two years.
Two years ago the gelding won the Darwin Guineas (1600m) and the NT Derby (2000m).
AAP TURF mr/wb
