Mark Riley has unveiled plans to top his Winter Championship Final success with Gold Salute and win next year's Newmarket Handicap with Gold In Dubai for his mate and former Melbourne Racing Club committeeman Kevin Heffernan.Riley said it would be his way of repaying the loyalty of Heffernan who has supported him as both a jockey and trainer for the last 30 years.Heffernan was in St Vincent's Hospital with a blood disorder and unable get to Flemington on Saturday to watch Gold Salute overcome th

Mark Riley has unveiled plans to top his Winter Championship Final success with Gold Salute and win next year's Newmarket Handicap with Gold In Dubai for his mate and former Melbourne Racing Club committeeman Kevin Heffernan.

Riley said it would be his way of repaying the loyalty of Heffernan who has supported him as both a jockey and trainer for the last 30 years.

Heffernan was in St Vincent's Hospital with a blood disorder and unable get to Flemington on Saturday to watch Gold Salute overcome the outside barrier in the Listed Winter Championship Final with the aid of a brilliant ride from Hall of Fame jockey Damien Oliver.

Oliver was able to get cover three-wide most of the way but was giving the leaders 12 lengths start at the 600 metres before peeling the gelding out for a clear run down the centre of the track in the straight.

Gold Salute, who was having his first start in a month after posting back-to-back wins at Flemington, had the field covered at the 200 metres and scored by a length from Benelli and Famous Roman who was another 1-1/4 lengths back.

Riley said it was a special win and honoured his association with Heffernan which went back to his days as a jockey when he won the 1980 Geelong Oaks Trial Stakes for him on the Geoff Murphy-trained Pretty Fleur.

Heffernan has always had horses with Riley since he became a trainer about 15 years ago and he supported him through a two-year disqualification and other troubled times.

"Loyalty is everything to me and Kevin has gone far beyond that for me," Riley said.

"Blokes dropped me and canned me everywhere when I did my two years but Kevin was always there.

"He had committee blokes and judges telling him that he should be dropping me and disassociating himself from me but he stuck by me all the way.

"This win helps returns the favour."

Riley said he now wanted to do "a Bart Cummings" for Heffernan and win the Newmarket with Gold In Dubai next year.

Cummings trained Gold Trump who won the 1990 Newmarket which is still Heffernan's biggest win as an owner.

"I think I have got one, Gold In Dubai, to have a crack at it for Kev next year," Riley said.

In the meantime Gold Salute will be set for Group Two Liston Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 15.

"If he goes well there we might give him a freshen and have a crack at the Railway Stakes in Perth," Riley said.

Gold Salute missed a lot of racing because of equine influenza and associated complications but Riley believes he is now ready to realise his huge potential.

"He is a five-year-old who hasn't been knocked around with, had 20 starts, so he's got everything in front of him," Riley said.