![Jockey Mikayla Weir. Picture: AAP Jockey Mikayla Weir. Picture: AAP](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/fdcx/doc6vphv9du25yit1u565v.jpg/r0_0_3951_2634_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Mikayla Weir hadn’t ridden a horse in town, let alone a winner before last weekend.
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That mattered little when the former Oak Flats resident guided Nic’s Vendetta to victory in the TAB Highway Handicap at Warwick Farm on Saturday.
An apprentice to Todd Howlett, Weir was still riding high from her maiden metropolitan win when she spoke to The Punt during the week.
“It is kind of one of those fairy tales that you never really get,” she said.
Weir timed her run to perfection on Nic’s Vendetta.
The 23-year-old had to tow the field into the race off a hot speed by Buddy Honest.
She hit the front a long way from home before holding off the fast-finishing Suncraze, which surged along the rails to go down by a nose.
It provided Weir with her first winner in town from her only ride on the card.
“I was quietly confident going into it because I know the horse was well and I know what he is capable of,” Weir said.
“My only thing that I was worried about was the weight because there was a big difference between me and the other horse.
“I suppose I still had three kilos off his back but it was still more than what the other horse was carrying.”
Weir was born and raised in the Illawarra and rode work for Kerry Parker before moving to Howlett’s stable.
She made that move two years ago and now lives in Singleton while riding mainly on the country and provincial circuits.
However, she took her first opportunity in town with both hands and can now boast a 100% record at metropolitan meetings.
Nic’s Vendetta, a four-year-old gelding by Nicconi, was also trained by Howlett, who couldn’t have been more pleased for his apprentice post race.