Sydney's leading apprentice Robbie Dolan has started the next phase of his riding career with a win at Canterbury.
Dolan outrode his claim last Wednesday but was able to still utilise a 1.5kg allowance for the final time last Saturday at Randwick where he closed out that meeting with a win on Blazing Miss.
Riding without a claim at Wednesday's city meeting, Dolan piloted two-year-old colt Concealed to victory by a long head on a heavy track in the Microphone @ Darley Handicap (1250m) which was dominated by horses trained by Peter and Paul Snowden who had the first three placegetters.
Concealed, one of three rides on Wednesday's program for Dolan, was having his second start and chased down his stablemate Edmond late in the race with Oregon third.
"It was good to get a couple of nice rides today on my first day without a claim and I'm just delighted to get one on the board," Dolan told Sky Thoroughbred Central.
"Especially for Peter and Paul Snowden, I've never had a winner for them and hopefully it leads to bigger and better things."
It was Dolan's 27th city winner for the season as he strives to win back-to-back Sydney apprentice premierships.
While Concealed took out Wednesday's race for two-year-old colts and geldings, the Richard and Michael Freedman-trained Samiam Seussie defied her $21 start price to win the Iron Jack Handicap (1250m) for two-year-old fillies by 2-1/4-lengths under Jason Collett.
Samiam Seussie had been unplaced on debut at Kembla Grange but Michael Freedman was not surprised to see her make her presence felt.
"She was a bit of an unknown on the Heavy (9) but I've always had a bit of an opinion of her," he said.
"I was a little bit disappointed the way she went first-up at Kembla but she was just very green and new and missed the start badly.
"Whilst the price might say it was a bit of a surprise, I wasn't totally shocked."
Trainer John O'Shea prepared a winning double with three-year-olds Lillemor and Kirwan's Lane, with the latter one of two winners on the program for star jockey Hugh Bowman.