Ex-pat kiwi jockey Michael Dee scored his biggest career victory when he kicked home the Lloyd Williams owned Foundry in the Group 1 The Metropolitan at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Dee, who started his career in New Zealand, rode 107 winners as an apprentice with the Kevin Myers stable before transferring to Mick Price at Caulfield in 2015. He enjoyed early success in Melbourne where his first major winner was Churchill Dancer in the Group 2 Bobbie Lewis Stakes while he also won a Scone Cup on Duca Valentinois.
However, leading in to Saturday's meeting Dee best result at Group 1 was a third on Allergic in the corresponding event in 2016 as well as finishing runner-up on Rising Red in the 2017 New Zealand Derby.
Dee was of the belief he could go break his hoodoo in Saturday's contest and so it proved as he provided the former European galloper Foundry with a perfect run in transit before outstaying his rivals in the concluding stages of the 2400 metre event.
"I still can't believe it as it really hasn't sunk in yet," was Dee's reaction when questioned the day after the victory.