Jarrod Fry can now call himself a Group 1 jockey after teaming with Tuvalu to win Saturday’s $1 million Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield.
It was the first success at the highest-level for the 33-year-old, who had his first ride in a race at Avoca on Anzac Day 2007.
Prior to Saturday he had ridden 933 winners in a career that has seen him craft a reputation as one of Victoria’s hardest-working country jockeys and he was thrilled to finally get to taste Group 1 success aboard a horse trained by one of his biggest supporters, Lindsey Smith.
“You always dream of it,” Fry said. “I’m very lucky that Lindsey has been backing me along with this ownership group.
“This is not just for me, but all of the staff have been good to me. I could sit there for hours naming them all. I really enjoy working with them and it’s good to get the reward with them.”
Fry’s previous best result in a Group 1 race was his third placing aboard Tuvalu in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes three weeks earlier.
He sensed a long way out that he was going to go a couple of spots better in the Toorak.
After utilising barrier one to settle behind leading pair Gentleman Roy and Military Expert, he was able to peel around their heels when they skipped a couple of lengths clear at the 350m.
Tuvalu spent the first half of the straight working through the gears but hit the front 100m out, which was when Fry was able to start celebrating.
“Throughout the run I was really happy with where we were and I was pretty confident that I was going to run those ones down in front,” he said.
“I just needed the line to come up. That feeling going past the line is like nothing else.”
At the finish, Tuvalu ($9.50) had three-quarters-of-a-length to spare over Laws Of Indices ($13), who flashed home from last to grab second, a long-head in advance of Military Expert ($16).
Gentleman Roy was a nose away fourth with I Wish I Win, the $2.15 favourite who was forced to pass a veterinary examination at the start, a neck back fifth after failing to replicate the explosiveness he displayed at his two previous starts in Australia.