The action may be centred on the spring carnival in Victoria but comeback jockey Jason Holder believes he's already won his Melbourne Cup.Holder, the winner of three Group Ones and five Adelaide jockeys' premiership, took seven months to fully recover from serious head injuries sustained in an Eagle Farm fall in January.He spent two days in an induced coma with a fractured skull and cheekbone.The fall came four days after he was the toast of Australian racing when he won the Magic Millions Class

The action may be centred on the spring carnival in Victoria but comeback jockey Jason Holder believes he's already won his Melbourne Cup.

Holder, the winner of three Group Ones and five Adelaide jockeys' premiership, took seven months to fully recover from serious head injuries sustained in an Eagle Farm fall in January.

He spent two days in an induced coma with a fractured skull and cheekbone.

The fall came four days after he was the toast of Australian racing when he won the Magic Millions Classic at the Gold Coast on Queenslander Phelan Ready.

The fall also cost him his fourth Group One when Phelan Ready claimed the Golden Slipper at Rosehill in April.

Holder has made some big strides since returning to the saddle this month and from a handful of rides has ridden two winners for Gold Coast trainers Kelly Doughty at the Sunshine Coast and Gillian Heinrich at the Gold Coast.

"I know it's spring carnival time but winning for Kelly at my first meeting back at Caloundra was like winning a big feature race," Holder said.

Holder acknowledges he has a tough road ahead to return to the days when the phone rang hot from trainers seeking his services.

"It's been good to get back to riding. Physically and mentally I'm good," Holder said.

"I never knew how much I really missed racing. Boredom started to get to me the last few months but the time out made me appreciate racing a lot more.

"I was driving my family mad and they were very happy to see me get back to riding."

Holder started riding trackwork seven weeks ago and rode in almost two dozen barrier trials and jumpouts before taking his first race ride back.

"I pulled up tired after the trials and they told me I needed to work more on my fitness," Holder said.

"I could have returned to riding in races a lot earlier but I wanted to get my fitness level right."

Holder has ridden at four meetings since making his comeback and plans to return to riding in the metropolitan area at Doomben on Saturday week.

"I knew I was ready to come back but I'm probably my own worst critic and I know I've got some finetuning to do like improving my timing," he said.

"Before my fall the doors had opened everywhere but now I've got to work on things and do it all over again."

Holder, who hopes to be riding around 53 kilograms at Doomben, also conceded adapting to the controversial new whip rules was somewhat difficult at first.

"The new whip rules make you think," he said.

"I spoke to a few jockeys about the whip rules before I started back but I'm warming to them now."