Jockey Josh Cartwright turned back the clock when he combined with trainer Vincent Malady to post their first victory together in eight years with Kitanlad at Colac on Saturday.
Josh, who recently made a riding comeback, has ridden 10 winners from 80 rides for Vincent, his previous winner for the stable being Bluegrass Dan on November 23, 2014.
“We’ve had quite a bit of success together and it was great to get another winner with him,” Vincent said.
Josh, who has ridden nearly 300 winners, was apprenticed in Geelong before he moved away to ride in Adelaide and later had a stint holding a dual licence as a jockey and trainer in South Australia.
Two years ago, he joined Chris Waller’s Sydney stable as a track rider and he made his comeback to race riding last month, basing himself again in Geelong.
The wins are starting to flow for Josh and Kitanlad was the first leg of a winning double for him on Colac, timing his run to perfection to land the Avisio Fillies and Mares Maiden Plate (1200m).
He has ridden the four-year-old mare in her three runs this campaign finishing second on her first up at Terang last month before having no luck at Werribee on December 4.
She needed a good ride at Colac and Josh delivered settling her fourth just off the pace and angling her out into the clear in the home straight.
For a while it seemed she would struggle to rein in the leaders but in the last 50 metres she powered over the top of Pants On Fire and the pacemaker Let’savalook to score by a half-length.
Putch Puyat who lives in the Philippines, owns Kitanlad as well her stablemate Always Hapi, who has won three races this year.
Kitanlad was due for a win after placing at three of her first nine starts.
“She was good today the way she finished off and hopefully she can go on with it now.”