Narredu rides first winner in Oz

Jockey Suraj Narredu riding Pasheona to victory at Kilmore racetrack. Pic/racing.com

Ace Indian jockey Suraj Narredu rode his first winner in Australia on Thursday when he manouvered three-year-old brown filly Pasheona to victory at the Kilmore racetrack. Suraj has been in Australia since April, riding for trainers C Maher & D Eustace who jointly train under a partnership firm.

The most successful Indian jockey (2,302 wins) jokingly confessed after the victory that this was perhaps the longest "dry spell", referring to the nearly one month he took to register his first victory down under.

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"In India, recently thought I was getting stagnated, and needed a boost," Suraj told mid-day over the phone from Australia, "so instead of a normal family vacation, I decided to explore Australian racing." Suraj's entire family, wife Riya, son Aarush, daughter Natasha, and father Satish, were present at the Kilmore racetrack in Victoria, Australia, to watch Suraj's winning ride. "We were in Gold Coast, Sydney, and I am happy we just made it here [Kilmore] in time to watch him win," Riya said after the race.

Meanwhile, father Satish Narredu was so thrilled he lifted Suraj in the air in full public view, something he has done in India every time Suraj won the Indian Derby at Mahalaxmi. When mid-day asked Suraj about his future plans, he said he would return to India by July, as he would not like to miss the Bangalore summer Derby.