Avdulla records emotional comeback win

Brenton Avdulla has returned to the winner's stall for the first time in his comeback from a neck injury, which has kept sidelined for the last six months.

With a long-awaited return to race riding at Rosehill last Saturday, where he had two rides on February 19 program, he only had to wait one further engagement to record a victory, when aboard the John O'Shea-trained Champions League at Kembla Grange on Tuesday.

Brenton Avdulla spoke to Sky Racing following the win on Champions League:

"I'm pretty emotional, it's been a hard six months," Avdulla said.

"Speaking to my father-in-law and few of those people that were on track when they first seen me, JT (John Thompson) obviously it was his horse, they thought I was dead there for a few minutes.

"It's been hard through COVID and what a way to ride a winner for John O'Shea, who has had the back of me for a long time.

"I'm very thankful for John and his connections, it's nice to get this out of the way."

The multiple Group One winning jockey fell on Xtremetime via the Silver Shadow Stakes on August 21 where sadly, the John Thompson-trained filly suffered an injury to her near shoulder region and was euthanised.

Avdulla was engaged to ride both Private Eye (Epsom Handicap winner) & Think It Over (won nearly $2.7m last spring) on that Winx Stakes meeting.