Australian jockey Jake Bayliss has claimed his first Group One win aboard Volpe Veloce in the Railway Stakes at Ellerslie.
Bayliss has created plenty of attention with his success since arriving in New Zealand on a short-term contract for the summer.
The Victorian jockey has made no secret of his desire to ride his first Group One winner and he achieved the feat in style on Monday.
The race was depleted by scratchings including Heroic Valour who was to be ridden by Bayliss’ brother Regan.
Bayliss bided his time near the rear of the field on Volpe Veloce and and got going approaching the home turn.
Volpe Veloce extended strongly to get to the lead and held off the fast-finishing Packing Eagle by 1-1/2 lengths.
“This means the world to me,” Bayliss told NZ Racing Desk.
“Limited opportunities have stopped me getting success like this, but I’ve been working hard since I came to New Zealand.
“I’ve tried to put my best foot forward and Graham Richardson has stuck by me in a big race like this.
“I’m now a Group One winning jockey, but I just can’t explain the feeling.”
Richardson and his co-trainer Gavin Parker were equally excited.
“She deserves it, the owners deserve it and so does Gavin Parker,” Richardson said.
“He’s done an enormous job, along with the staff, so congratulations to everybody.
“I won it 21 years ago and I have had a couple of seconds, so this means the world to me.
“We’re going to celebrate today and then bring on the Telegraph.
“We might even go to the Newmarket in Australia as Jake seems to think she is up to it so after a run like that, on ground she doesn’t handle, who knows.”
The victory took the mare’s record to 10 wins from just 13 starts and is six from six at 1200 metres.
She will now go to the Group One Telegraph Stakes (1200m) at Trentham on January 20.