A refreshed Craig Grylls will return to race riding at Avondale on Wednesday to continue his association with the promising filly Purcentage.
Grylls enjoyed a month in Europe after riding at the Macau Derby meeting on May 31 and is looking forward to partnering the Graham Richardson-trained juvenile in the NZB Insurance Pearl Series 1200.
“She’s a classy filly and very, very smart,” he said. “I rode her in her first two trials and then (sister) Bridget kept the saddle warm for me and I’m glad to get back on.”
Purcentage has won all three of her trials and beat the subsequent winner and Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes placegetter Al Pacino in the first of those at Cambridge.
Grylls, 24, has enjoyed a stellar season with 71 wins – his best was 72 in 2009-10 – and highlighted by Group One wins in the NRM Sprint and NZ Thoroughbred Stakes aboard Viadana and the Thorndon Mile with A Touch of Ruby.
He returned from overseas on Sunday after catching up with his former flat-mate Emmett Stack, who spent two seasons in New Zealand.
“I went to Ireland to see Emmett and his fiancée and rode some work on a private track there and then went to Majorca in Spain,” Grylls said.
“My girlfriend is Swedish and we spent the last five days with her family. In Sweden it was summer and it was colder than here!”
“I feel great and raring to go. I normally walk 55kg and I only went up to 56.5kg so I was pretty happy about that. I’m really looking forward to getting back to business.
