AUSFIGHTER wins his maiden and brings up Darby Racing's 50th winner for the season

Darby Racing & owners celebrated their 50th win of the season, when the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott gelding, Ausfighter, broke his maiden in the 1300m maiden handicap at Hawkesbury today.

Ridden a treat by jockey Joshua Parr, Ausfighter was sent to the front after working to do so, hot on his heals, short priced favourite, Secretively and well supported Convinced, breathing down his neck. Turning for home, Secretively darted up the inside and looked the winner half way down the running however Ausfighter showed great heart and tenacity, fighting back to win convincingly on the line.

It was a tough break through win for Ausfighter and his patient owners bringing up his first win at start number 6 and I'm sure more wins are in store for the tough gelding by Fighting Sun.

It's been a hugely successful year thus far for Darby Racing and owners, with 50 wins this season so far and only 10 wins off the goal set by Managing Director Scott Darby at the start of the season, which would be a record for the Darby Racing company.

With many highlights thus far in the 2018/19 season including Time To Reign winning the Group 2 Silver Slipper Stakes and finishing 5th in the Golden Slipper, the best may yet to come when recent Group 3 winning mare Irithea, contests this Saturday, the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Stakes. All going well, Iirthea will then press on to the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap and the Group 1 Tatts Tiara.

Also trying to end the season with a bang, is lightly raced, highly promising 2YO, Disruptor (Dissident) when he contests the Group 2 Sire's Produce Stakes and then hopefully a tilt at the Group 1 JJ Atkins stakes.

Darby Racing has won 4 Group 1 races in the past 3 seasons but is yet to register a Group 1 victory this season. With any luck, Irithea and or Disruptor may just rectify that stat.