Hey Doc wins the Manikato Stakes (Image: Racing Photos)
Seven months after a horror fall at The Valley nearly ended his career, Luke Currie returned to land his 10th Group 1 win aboard one of his favourite horses, evergreen sprinter Hey Doc, in the Manikato Stakes.
Aided by a firming Good 3 surface, the Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained gelding set a new track record of 1.08.76 for 1200m in edging out Trekking and Dirty Work.
It was Hey Doc's fourth Group 1 win and came three years after his first Manikato Stakes success in 2017.
For Currie, who only returned to the saddle from serious spinal fractures in August and was given another injury scare when he was thrown from a horse at Geelong on Wednesday, it was an emotional return to the Group 1 winners' stall.
"He's a beauty, isn't he," Currie said of the horse he's now won seven races on.
"He puts himself on the speed, he tries his heart out and he brings it every time he comes to the races.
"I didn't think it (another Group 1) would happen this quick but I've been lucky to get the support, especially from Tony and Calvin McEvoy."
WATCH: Hey Doc wins the Manikato Stakes.
Calvin McEvoy said Hey Doc was a once-in-a-lifetime horse.
"What a great old horse he is, he's been a pin-up horse for our stable." McEvoy said.
"He was dad's first Group 1 winner under the McEvoy Mitchell Racing Brand and he was my first Group 1 winner in partnership with him.
"It's been the target race for him for a long way out so it's unbelievable to pull it off."
There was pre-race drama when both Diamond Effort and Order of Command were scratched due to the upgrade of the track to a Good 3, which came more than an hour before the first race.
The Bureau of Meteorology had predicted significant rainfall across Melbourne on Friday evening but very little fell at the track during the meeting.