BRENTON Avdulla has secured his first Sydney jockeys premiership — now he is out to break the 100-win barrier for the season.

Avdulla won’t admit it just yet but his treble at Rosehill Gardens last Saturday is a premiership clincher, taking him 86 wins for the 2017-18 season and opening up a 15-win lead over nearest rival Blake Shinn with only eight meetings remaining.

This is an unassailable lead and provides Avdulla with a deserved Sydney premiership after his narrow loss to Hugh Bowman last year.

But Avdulla won’t be taking it easy over the next month and can focus on trying to ride at least 100 city winners, a race achievement in the modern era.

No jockey has ridden 100 or more Sydney winners in a season since Hall of Famer Darren Beadman set the all-time record of 164 wins in 2006-07.

AVDULLA TOP OF THE CLASS
THE wins of Harper’s Choice and Asterius demonstrated Avdulla’s tactical nous and versatility.

Harper’s Choice was brilliantly rated in front by Avdulla to win the Winter Cup, holding off the late surge of a very brave Destiny’s Kiss.

Avdulla was back last on Asterius when he elected to cut the corner and take runs through the field before the three-year-old unleashed a brilliant late burst to win impressively.

FORD BACK IN MASS PRODUCTION
JAY Ford has never ridden better after a brilliant week that yielded 10 winners including his double on Liapari and Tornado Gal at Rosehill.

The unassuming Ford produced an outstanding ride on Liapari in the Civic Stakes but his losing effort on Destiny’s Kiss is worthy of mention.

Destiny’s Kiss looked beaten at the 600m and another jockey may not have persisted like Ford did from that point of the race.

Ford knows Destiny’s Kiss so well and the jockey is aware the old gelding hits a “flat spot” in his races but is still capable of surging again.

Destiny’s Kiss, shouldering 61kg, did just that and charged after Harper’s Choice to run that horse to a half length in an exciting finish.

PORTELLI BAGS RARE DOUBLE
TRAINER Gary Portelli has prepared at least one winner for five consecutive Sydney Saturday meetings after his promising colt Dio D’Oro dead-heated with Toulouse in the Rosehill juvenile opener.

But Portelli might have created another record of sorts by training two dead-heats at the meeting as the stable’s tough sprinter Testashadow shared seventh placing with Gold Symphony in the Civic Stakes.

GOULD SPOON FED A WINNER
PHIL “Gus” Gould might have been disappointed by Penrith Panthers upset loss to Manly last Saturday but the NRL identity and Channel 9 commentator still had a winner of sorts.

Gould’s wife, June, shares in the ownership of promising two-year-old filly Witherspoon who made a mess of her rivals at Newcastle last Saturday.

The Brad Widdup-trained Witherspoon, who also has among her syndicate of owners Damion Flower’s wife, Camilla, broke her maiden status after six starts.

Witherspoon and imported stayer Nahuel, trained by Richard Freedman, both looked very impressive winning at Newcastle and are too good for provincial class.