RACING
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Adam Hyeronimus booted home two of Gai Waterhouse's three Kembla Grange winners - and, even better, missed out on a kick for his troubles in an increasingly rare visit to the provincials on Saturday.
As Waterhouse racked up six winners in the space of four hours across three tracks - including a stakes double at Caulfield - Hyeronimus was leading Tulloch Lodge's charge at Kembla.
He nursed Suadela to an ever-widening five-length romp in class record time before getting busy on the "frustrating" Dormello, a $410,000 yearling who finally snapped his maiden status.
But it was the winner he didn't ride for Waterhouse, the impressive So Nostalgic, which could have left the biggest impression after the colt lashed out at jockey Jeff Penza upon returning to scale.
"He hit him in the thigh just above the knee," Hyeronimus said of the jockey room veteran's painful blow. "It knocked the wind out of him but he kept riding on.
"It started to swell up throughout the day and once it cooled down I reckon it would have been very painful."
There was a fair bit of pain, too, for those who took a set against Suadela as she toyed with a Benchmark 60 fillies and mares field to land a flurry of bets.
Bookmakers offered $2.40 on opening but sent out the Encosta De Lago filly a prohibitive $1.80 favourite on the strength of a super trial featuring Bound For Earth and Pinwheel.
Hyeronimus whisked her to the lead and stacked the rest of the field up then sped clear at the top of the straight to easily win from Lamartine ($14).
"Her first race start she won quite dominantly at Newcastle then stepped up in grade to a hard race at Randwick on Saturday," he said.
"Once I gave her a couple with the whip she impressed me and she really put them away quickly."
Dormello started to repay his huge investment with his effort in the Maiden Plate (1600m).
The More Than Ready gelding ran into the likes of Norzita and Windswept as a two-year-old before skipping his three-year-old season with injury.
"He's been a bit of a frustrating horse for the stable you could say," Hyeronimus said.
"He's been there since a baby and he's had a few niggling injuries and a long time off the scene.
"He's been a bit of a handful for a lot of the trackwork riders [but] it's good for the owners as they've paid a lot of money for him."