Top jockey Chris Munce climbed out of his sick bed and made a triumphant return to Toowoomba where he guided Poor Judge to a track-record win in the $150,000 Weetwood Handicap on Thursday.Munce spent most of Wednesday undergoing X-rays in hospital after he was dislodged earlier in the day at Ipswich but rode through the pain barrier to win his second Weetwood and give local trainer Norm Hilton his biggest thrill in racing.Munce won his first Weetwood on Count Henri in 1989 and the Melbourne Cup-
Top jockey Chris Munce climbed out of his sick bed and made a triumphant return to Toowoomba where he guided Poor Judge to a track-record win in the $150,000 Weetwood Handicap on Thursday.
Munce spent most of Wednesday undergoing X-rays in hospital after he was dislodged earlier in the day at Ipswich but rode through the pain barrier to win his second Weetwood and give local trainer Norm Hilton his biggest thrill in racing.
Munce won his first Weetwood on Count Henri in 1989 and the Melbourne Cup-winning hoop said he had not been back to the course since.
Hilton has been training in Toowoomba for 30 years but said he had never previously been to the races on Weetwood day because it was too crowded.
"I always stayed away because you couldn't move the crowd was so big," an emotional Hilton said.
"This is a big thrill for me. I picked this race out for the horse after Chris said he would win a serious race when he won on him two runs back."
Poor Judge started favourite and ran a track record of 1:12:04 for the 1200 metres and made his rivals look second rate when he raced away in the straight to beat Drenalin by 5-3/4 lengths with Sommersea Drive a head back third.
Munce said Poor Judge was the motivating factor in him defying his bruised body to ride at Toowoomba and gave the horse a good wrap as a winter carnival contender.
"He certainly deserves his chance at the better races," Munce said.
"He was far too good today and he keeps taking the next step - it will be interesting to see how he performs against the better horses."
Earlier, local ironhorse Yield Curve defied the doubters and gave his hobby trainer Kath Carroll the thrill of a lifetime when he scored a tough win in the $100,000 Toowoomba Cup (2100m).
Yield Curve is the only horse Carroll has in work and the Toowoomba Cup was the six-year-old's 30th start in the past 12 months.
But, aided by a patient Shane Scriven ride, Yield Curve showed no signs of fatigue when he held off Royal Hope to score by 2-1/4 lengths with Jonka Tiki 1-1/2 lengths back third.
A granddaughter of former legendary trainer Con Doyle, Carroll choked back tears as she explained the win was a dream come true.
"This is an emotional win for me - it's amazing and the thrill of a lifetime," she said.
Yield Curve gave veteran jockey Scriven his second Toowoomba Cup after he scored back in 1983 on Sherona and Carroll revealed he only got the ride after Stathi Katsidis knocked it back.
"Stathi rode him last start but he didn't want to ride him in the Cup so we got Shane," she said.