Sydney's premier apprentice Peter Wells made the perfect start to Group One racing with his winning ride on outsider Newport in the Metropolitan Handicap at Randwick.An emotional Wells dedicated the win to his great aunt Janice who died last month."I wore one of her Catholic medals around my neck today and truly believe she was with me in the run," Wells said."She looked after me so well when I first came to Sydney ... she died on my birthday on September 12 and I really miss her."Trainer Paul P
Sydney's premier apprentice Peter Wells made the perfect start to Group One racing with his winning ride on outsider Newport in the Metropolitan Handicap at Randwick.
An emotional Wells dedicated the win to his great aunt Janice who died last month.
"I wore one of her Catholic medals around my neck today and truly believe she was with me in the run," Wells said.
"She looked after me so well when I first came to Sydney ... she died on my birthday on September 12 and I really miss her."
Trainer Paul Perry said Newport, who started at $41, would press on to the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups and praised Wells for an outstanding ride in the 2400-metre feature.
"I told Peter to stick on the fence for a while because the horse likes that and Peter produced a terrific ride," Perry said.
"It was a great effort from the horse too, he was the fresh one on the scene in this race and it showed.
"Newport is bred to go two miles (3200m) and I can't see why he can't run in the Melbourne Cup."
Perry also credited his son Nathan who was watching at home in Newcastle.
"He rides most of the horse's work and had a back operation recently and is resting but I'm sure he was watching and will be pretty happy about this," Perry said.
Newport got a dream run along the fence but had plenty of ground to make up at the 400 metres with the Gai Waterhouse-trained equal favourite Bianca ($4.20) showing the way.
Wells asked Newport for something and last year's Brisbane Cup winner delivered with a powerful finishing burst to defeat Bianca by a long neck with Get Up Jude ($12) 3-1/4 lengths away third.
The Anthony Cummings-trained equal favourite Red Lord faded to run eighth while the well-supported Fiumicino ($4.80) was a disappointing 12th.
"He raced a bit keen in the first part of the race and that didn't suit him but he battled on pretty well," Cummings said.
"The three weeks between runs on a wet track was against us but there is plenty of upside and we're going to Melbourne."
Get Up Jude's trainer Diane Poidevin-Laine was elated with the run from her first Group One starter.
"It can't get much better than this. I thought he was gone at the top of the straight but he kept fighting," Poidevin-Laine said.