KEY POINTS:
Brian Mayfield-Smith admitted he was beginning to doubt himself before posting his first city double for the season at Flemington on Saturday.
Mayfield-Smith, who this month broke a career-worst city drought of four months when Benetar won at Sandown, said his luck might have turned for the better after perennial placegetters Road To Athens and Stickpin posted well-deserved victories.
"This is the A-team," Mayfield-Smith said.
"When you look at the team at the moment you work down from these two so it is good that they have won."
Based in Melbourne since 1997, Mayfield-Smith said this season had been particularly frustrating, with Maybe Better going amiss before the Melbourne Cup adding to his woes.
"You start to lose faith in yourself when you keep getting a hammering.
"You keep going but it is hard."
For most of the home straight Road To Athens had trouble getting a clear run in the National Jockeys Trust Handicap (2530m) but Corey Brown weaved a passage through on him to score by a length from Moderato with Lady Atire a half-neck away third.
It was Road To Athens' first win since his success at Sandown on April 18 last year, while Stickpin posted his first win since the Victoria Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield on April 9.
Ridden by Vlad Duric, Stickpin had been placed at his past two starts and finally got the breaks in the listed Chester Manifold Stakes (1410m).
Positioned two back on the rails, Duric angled him off the fence approaching the clock tower and he unwound a strong sprint to beat Standish Handicap winner Publishing by a short half-head with Count To Zero a long neck away third.
"He's been pretty unlucky," Mayfield-Smith said.
"You have got to smother him up and pull him out in the straight otherwise he is no hope.
"He only has a furlong and a half (300m) sprint."
Stickpin has now won eight of his 29 starts and nearly $370,000 and heading into the autumn the Pins 5-year-old has similar races, away from the top horses, as targets.
However, more ambitious plans are in the pipeline for Road To Athens, which had run into spring Cups prospect Gallopin at his past four starts, twice finishing second to him along with a third and a fourth.
"He's been an honest horse and we might look at the Adelaide Cup with him," Mayfield-Smith said.
"It is usually a soft affair and it is a chance to win a decent race with him."
Mayfield-Smith said Road To Athens usually races handy to the lead but on his latest win looked better suited ridden back in his races.
"He got shuffled back coming to the turn and had to wait and that might be the way to ride him," he said.
- AAP
