South African jockey Lyle Hewitson on Monday scored an easy victory during his “working holiday” in Australia while Hong Kong has their seasonal break.
It was his ninth outing down under and the jockey described it as “a bit of a steer job” when guiding Peridot Star to victory for trainer Phillip Stokes.
Hewitson started his Australian stint at Pakenham a week ago and it was at the same Victorian racetrack that he delivered to start the week.
“It was a bit of a steer job for me and I am just really grateful,” Hewitson told racing.com.
“She’s a bit of a hot filly. She did get a bit worked up, but fortunately when the gates opened, she was the ultimate professional. I kind of thought that after 200m, I had the race in my own hands.
“I haven’t had too many rides. I understand it’s quite difficult. But it’s nice to be able to get around – I’ve been able to work at a few places and meet some lovely people.
“I’m grateful to someone like Mr Stokes and his team, who have given me this opportunity. Well done to them. The yard was pretty confident and I just had to do my job and the horse did the rest.”
Hewitson plans to ride in Australia for another week or so before returning to Hong Kong to prepare for the 2024-25 season, which kicks off at Sha Tin on 8 September.