With Tommy Berry suspended for much of the spring, trainer Luke Price had a conundrum.
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Who to put on boom filly Jamaea.
Stable apprentice Brock Ryan originally felt he had no chance of getting the ride and started offering his boss suggestions for Saturday's Group 2 Furious Stakes.
It didn't take long for Price to realise Ryan was the perfect man for the job.
The apprentice repaid the faith on Saturday, delivering one of the rides of his life to snatch victory on the line, his first Group win.
The filly was last at the top of the straight, Ryan battling for clear air and attempting to fight his way past fellow Kembla Grange runner Wolves.
Once he was free, Ryan hit the accelerator. Jamaea responded to produce a Chautauqua-esque finish to edge Robodira by a nose. Mallory was third, with Wolves back in 12th.
"It's just awesome, I'm stoked," Ryan told Sky Racing. "When Tommy got suspended, I told Luke 'I know I'm not going to ride her.'
"We were liaising who we were going to put on. I was giving him ideas of what riders would suit her, then I ended up on her. It's amazing just to get the win, it's awesome, my first Group winner."
Ryan's ride brought back memories of Jamaea's first showing at Randwick in February.
That was the Listed Lonhro Plate, the apprentice struggling to get the filly clear at the top of the straight before eventually storming home to finish a close second.
Since then, Ryan has endured an eventful six months. A broken leg in trackwork saw him miss much of the autumn, Berry riding Jamaea to victory in the Group 2 Percy Sykes Stakes in April.
Upon returning to the track, the jockey hit the ground running and enjoyed a successful winter.
The winners continued to pile up, Ryan riding four at Rosehill in July while he also enjoyed a metropolitan double on his home track at Kembla Grange last weekend.
It was a twist of fate that saw Price turn to his apprentice on Saturday and the jockey did not disappoint to claim the biggest win of his young career.
Ryan has turned heads among the Sydney scene of late, receiving multiple top rides in recent weeks.
He is sure to attract more attention after the performance on Jamaea, securing victory from a position even he considered tricky.
"I was just a little bit worried. The horses I was on the back of, Wolves and Yearning, just weren't quite right in the market. I didn't think they were going to take me very far.
"I got in panic mode and pushed my way out. Lucky enough I had the filly with the best turn of foot in the race."
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