Chris Symons knew he owed trainer Greg Eurell a winner and he provided it courtesy of his first city victory since his return from a broken foot.
Symons was out of the saddle for more than four months after breaking his foot when a prominent apprentice accidentally reversed his car into him in the carpark at Sale racecourse.
The jockey returned to race riding last Saturday in Adelaide then rode a couple of winners at Sale a day later.
But it was another of Symons’ rides on Sunday’s program that caught Eurell’s attention and sweetened the victory by Gracie Louise at Sandown on Wednesday.
“He rode one for me at Sale on Sunday and it was an absolute shocker,” Eurell said.
“And he knew it too because he was straight on the phone to me after the races apologising. But he’s made up for it there.”
Symons said it was great to be back and admitted his ride for Eurell at Sale was “beyond a slaughter”.
“Greg has been fantastic to me for the last seven years I’ve been riding for him and it’s just great to get my first metro winner back for him,” he said.
Symons’ victory came on a program highlighted by a couple of promising gallopers who showed they were in line for better races during the autumn.
The David Hayes-trained Red Fez is set to be tested in stakes company after a hard-fought victory in the D’Urban Handicap (1200m).
Handled by apprentice Chad Schofield in his first ride back from a nine-day suspension, Red Fez sat three-wide but found plenty to defeat You’re So Good by a head with 2-1/4 lengths to Emerenta third.
The Group Two Kewney Stakes (1400m) next month is among the options for the filly.
“She’s all class,” Schofield said.
“She’s very tough, to jump from a weak race at Ballarat to a strong midweek race at Sandown and do it tough the whole way.”
Robbie Laing will head to the Group Two Autumn Classic (1800m) at Caulfield with three-year-old Subiaso after he carried 60kg to a narrow win in the Sportingbet Handicap (1600m).
“Depending on how the likes of All Too Hard are going, it’s not impossible for him to then come back a furlong and run in the Australian Guineas,” Laing said.
The Lloyd Williams-owned three-year-old Vine was also an impressive winner in the Champagne Pommery Maiden Plate (2100m), putting a 4-1/2 length gap on his nearest rival after sitting on the speed.
“I love the way he was really strong the last 200 metres,” jockey Craig Williams said.
