Former New Zealand trainer Richard Collett has celebrated his first win since relocating to Australia late last year and fittingly, it has been delivered by his son, top jockey Jason.
The pair combined to take out the Midway Handicap (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday with Ripped, much to Jason Collett’s delight.
“It is really good for the family and it means a lot,” Jason Collett said.
Ripped had been thereabouts in his four Sydney starts but hadn’t managed a top-three placing, prompting Richard to make a key gear change and add blinkers.
The ploy worked and his trainer was hoping the horse could go on with it now he had found winning form.
“We will keep plugging away in races like this,” Richard Collett said.
“He is bred to stay and I think with the blinkers on at six-years-old for the first time we can find a bit more out of him.”