KEY POINTS:
It was perhaps appropriate that one of the first to shake Paddy Busuttin's hand after Demhills gave him his first New Zealand winner in more than a decade at Te Rapa on Saturday was his former stable rider Roy McKay.
Busuttin hadn't seen McKay for 14 years before he showed up unannounced at his Cambridge stable on Friday afternoon.
McKay, looking very youthful for his 40 years, is these days the leading jockey in Geraldton, 450km north of Perth.
He left New Zealand in 1994, disillusioned with the level of stakemoney and opportunities, spent nine years riding in South Australia and for the last five years has been riding in Geraldton, a town famous for its crayfishing industry.
But he might be headed back.
"Paddy has suggested I come back and base myself here at Cambridge," said McKay.
"I'll give it some thought in the next few weeks.
McKay was surprised at the sudden new levels of stakemoney in New Zealand.
"It's good to see, in fact I can't believe the stakes they're running for here at Te Rapa today."
McKay and partner Bernadette are in New Zealand for a few days because Geraldton racing closes down for five months and reopens in September.
"The weather is the reason. When it rains it really rains and the grass track can't cope.
"When I get back we'll race once a fortnight on a dirt track 450km north."
Racing in Western Australia went downhill for more than two decades until it received tax relief and Government help and is now flying.
McKay recalled the wonderful association he had with the Busuttin stable and horses like Castletown, Plume, Red Chifon.
"My biggest actual win when I was with Paddy was the Avondale Cup on Coconut Ice, but I won plenty of races on Castletown, even though Noel Harris was his regular jockey, Plume and Red Chifon.
"I even got introduced to the Queen when Red Chifon won the race they named in her honour when she visited New Zealand."
McKay rates Plume the best horse he's ridden.
Paddy Busuttin and son Trent came back to New Zealand only recently after a decade in Singapore and Demhills is their first winner from a handful of runners.
The way the youngster won it won't be his last victory for the stable.
Hong Kong-owned Demhills trailed the leaders to the home turn and produced a powerful sprint to the line that impressed rider Mark Du Plessis.
He carried some inspired support, but Paddy Busuttin said he had a reservation about the gelding's tendency to be slow out of the starting stalls.
"In his trials he's been slow away every time, but we gave him a jumpout during the week and he got away cleanly."
Demhills is one of nearly a dozen horses Busuttin trains for Dominic Li, whose late father was chairman of the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
"I met Dominic at a horse sale in France in 2000 and again at one of the international carnivals in Hong Kong and got to know him," said Busuttin.
He is uncertain of the immediate future for Demhills, but for obvious reasons would like to see the horse run in the Castletown Stakes at Queens Birthday weekend.
It was the first training success for Trent Busuttin and his father says he's uncertain of his exact total.
"It's over 1000 overall and 900-something in New Zealand. I was looking forward to getting to 1000 here, but I guess I won't now because the wins will be registered to the partnership."
