Champion jockey Nash Rawiller has revealed how weeks sidelined because of injury provided the motivation for his third Sydney jockeys' title.
Rawiller didn't take long to extinguish Hugh Bowman's faint hopes of defending his premiership when he won on his first ride during the final meeting of the season at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.
He went into the meeting with a 2-1/2-win lead and Diamond Jim's victory over Bowman's mount Msongari in the TAB Rewards Handicap put Rawiller out of reach in a tussle which injected plenty of interest into winter racing in Sydney.
The heavyweight jockey finished with 77 winners after riding Sir Berus to victory in the final event.
Sir Berus' win had added significance because it helped Rawiller share the national metropolitan premiership with Brisbane jockey Michael Cahill.
Rawiller missed three months of the season because of injury and suspension but trainer Gai Waterhouse's No.1 jockey said he had never given up on winning the title.
As he nursed a broken ankle from a barrier mishap in December, Rawiller held on to the ambition of making a race of it with the leaders in the jockeys' premiership.
"At the time that was all I could use to drive me to get back and do well," Rawiller said.
"I remember speaking to my brother Todd as well as Blake Shinn and saying, 'here I am sitting on my backside but they are only 20 in front of me' so I used that to spur me on."
Rawiller returned in time to ride during the Sydney autumn carnival but his charge towards the title didn't gain proper momentum until the latter part of the season.
"I came back and rode well over the carnival but nothing fell into place, nothing went to plan," Rawiller said.
But Rawiller has been in irrepressible form for the past month, riding 23 city winners during July.
"At the end of the day I have had terrific support from tremendous owners and trainers and that's the most important thing," Rawiller said.
To the surprise of Rawiller, Bowman drew a blank on Wednesday to finish with 72-1/2 winners for the season, the second time he has finished runner-up to go with his two titles.
"I was pretty pumped getting here today because I thought Hugh had good rides, better than they looked on paper," Rawiller said.
Stewards denied Chris Waller a final meeting winner when Loch Leven was relegated on protest, leaving the record-breaking trainer with 167-1/2 Sydney winners for the season.
Sam Clipperton rode 27 winners to claim the city apprentices' title, celebrating his premiership by winning on Melburg.