ASTUTE trainer and former jockey Gerald Ryan has declared gun apprentice Brenton Avdulla ''the next Nash Rawiller'' following yesterday's Villiers Stakes triumph at Randwick, reports the Sunday Age. It says: The 19-year-old Avdulla, who is competing against the seniors without a weight claim, won the $250,000 feature on Ryan's tailless horse Dances On Waves, which has cheated death on two occasions. ''He is where Nash was at the same age,'' said Ryan, who is not prone to rash comments. ''He is s

ASTUTE trainer and former jockey Gerald Ryan has declared gun apprentice Brenton Avdulla ''the next Nash Rawiller'' following yesterday's Villiers Stakes triumph at Randwick, reports the Sunday Age.

It says: The 19-year-old Avdulla, who is competing against the seniors without a weight claim, won the $250,000 feature on Ryan's tailless horse Dances On Waves, which has cheated death on two occasions.

''He is where Nash was at the same age,'' said Ryan, who is not prone to rash comments. ''He is strong like Nash and he is only a kid. He has a head on his shoulders, too, and he works hard.''

Dances On Waves overcame a near-fatal bout of pneumonia and scouring to return to racing. The owners almost sold the mare in the midst of her long rehabilitation.

''I told Brian Mullins to keep her,'' Ryan said, applauding the owners for the push to start in yesterday's group 2 event.

Dances On Waves is the first horse Mullins, a stockbroker, has owned.

''He rings me 10 times a week, he is real passionate,'' Ryan said. ''Brian rang me on Monday and said she was fit and well, she had no weight, let's roll the dice. Brenton was on my other one [Adnocon] and we switched him to this one.''

Starting at $26, Dances On Waves dug deep to beat the group 1 winner Mentality which was ridden by another apprentice, Josh Adams.