Leading bush jockey Greg Ryan was planning to spend his Saturday at a clearance sale but instead wound up winning the biggest race of his career on Pimpala Secret in the Listed Hawkesbury Guineas.Trainer Marc Conners took Pimpala Secret to Bathurst on Monday to coax a win out of the three-year-old, and after Ryan piloted the gelding to the Anzac Day victory he was able to maintain the ride for Saturday's $150,000 feature over 1400m.Pimpala Secret took advantage of the inside barrier and never ro

Leading bush jockey Greg Ryan was planning to spend his Saturday at a clearance sale but instead wound up winning the biggest race of his career on Pimpala Secret in the Listed Hawkesbury Guineas.

Trainer Marc Conners took Pimpala Secret to Bathurst on Monday to coax a win out of the three-year-old, and after Ryan piloted the gelding to the Anzac Day victory he was able to maintain the ride for Saturday's $150,000 feature over 1400m.

Pimpala Secret took advantage of the inside barrier and never rounded a horse as he held off Speediness by a neck with the favourite Steps In Time two lengths away third.

"We didn't have a rider when the fields came out so I rang Greg and asked what he was doing," Conners said.

"He said he was just going to a clearance sale, so I told him to come to Hawkesbury and ride the horse again."

Ryan has ridden 2500 winners during his career but said the Hawkesbury Guineas at Listed level was his biggest success in the saddle.

"I was going to a clearance sale to buy a bandsaw to cut up some firewood," the country hoop said.

"But now I'll just go and buy some firewood that's already cut up."

Pimpala Secret was struggling for form and Conners elected for the Bathurst excursion against older horses on Monday as he wanted to try the horse over 1400 metres with blinkers on and couldn't find any other suitable event.

"It was a confidence boost for him, we took him there to try and make him a racehorse because he had been bludging on us," the trainer said.

Pimpala Secret ($21) settled in the box seat behind leader Rasteau in Saturday's Guineas with Steps In Time ($3.40) on his outside during the run.

Ryan guided the gelding to the front before the home turn and he held off the late charge of Victorian visitor Speediness ($9) who was having his first stakes test.

Conners said it was hard to be confident heading into the Guineas considering the step up in class.

"I was very happy with himbut it was a very good race," he said.

"There were horses in it today they have been talking about Stradbrokes with, and we'd just come off a win at Bathurst."

Colin Scott, who trains just two horses at Pakenham in Victoria, was encouraged by Speediness' performance ahead of the Scone Guineas (1600m) in two weeks.

"It was a wet track, his first time racing the reverse way of going, I can't ask for any more than that," Scott said.

"I'm proud of the horse and can't be anything but happy going up to the mile at Scone next start."