Two weeks after apprentice rider Affandi Taib broke his duck for his first career win, another rookie has followed suit. Mohd Airy, 25, who until then, had had limited opportunities, though his master Michael Clements never failed to give him a leg-up whenever he could. It was actually one of his 26 rides that paved the way to his maiden success.
On Friday night Steven Burridge gave Airy his first career win.
"I saw a video of his ride aboard Huckleberry Finn the other day and I thought it wasn’t bad at all," said Burridge who was looking for some weight reprieve for his diminutive galloper Boomer Capital in the $35,000 Class 5 race over 1100m.
"Initially I thought of getting Farook, but I thought Brian (Dean) would have used him on Dream Dancer.
"So, I thought why not give Airy a chance. His 4kgs claim was a huge advantage."
Airy certainly made full use of his allowance when Steven Burrige trained Boomer Capital, despite travelling wide in the speed dash, skipped clear in the concluding stages to win by two lengths from Shooting Star (Barend Vorster).
"I would like to dedicate this first win to my boss Mr Clements and the owners of Boomer Capital and his trainer Mr Burridge," said Airy.
"I was just told to find a good position and try my best. It’s a fantastic feeling to get that first win.
"I wish I had won for my boss, but I’ll stake that one!"
|