Moloney excited to see Avdulla win Oaks

Proud trainer John Moloney has watched trackside at Flemington as his former apprentice Brenton Avdulla stole the show with a daring front-running ride to win the VRC Oaks on 100/1 bolter Lasqueti Spirit.

Avdulla opened up a big lead on the Lee Curtis-trained outsider in Thursday’s 2500m fillies’ Classic and Lasqueti Spirit went to the line unchallenged with Avdulla standing high in the irons and bowing to the crowd.

“He’s never been frightened to do things. So good luck to him,” Moloney said.

“He’s taken it all up and away he went with it.”

Avdulla hails from Melbourne and started his apprenticeship with Moloney at Caulfield at the age of 15 before moving to Sydney three years later.

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“He had never touched a horse until he walked into the stables,” Moloney said.

“But he followed me around day in and day out, just watching and learning, learning, learning.

“He wouldn’t say anything. All he’d do is want to learn. And he just went on with it.”

Avdulla has been based in Sydney since 2009 and the Oaks win was his fifth at Group One level.

He won the 2015/16 NSW jockeys’ premiership and leads the metropolitan standings this season.