It was fitting that Adam Hyeronimus returned to the winner’s circle at Kembla Grange on Saturday for his bosses, Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.
After serving a two years and four months ban for having an interest in bets on races, which kicked off in late 2020, Hyeronimus put that behind him at Kembla Grange as he greeted the judge first, winning on Okataina in the 1600m Maiden Handicap.
“It’s a lot of mixed emotions, to be honest,” Hyeronimus said.
“It’s good to get that out of the road; the few rides I’ve had back, I’ve felt like I’ve rode them well, and they’ve finished thereabouts, but it’s good to get the winner finally.”
The Queensland-born jockey, who kicked off his career in country NSW, has enjoyed a promising career, which has taken him all over the state.
He got his basic tuition from Cowra trainer Kevin White before he spent the first part of his apprenticeship with Robert and Luke Price at Nowra, followed by a short stint with Kevin Moses at Randwick.
Moses found Hyeronimus a full-time position with John Shelton at Grafton before he eventually joined the Tulloch Lodge team with Waterhouse and Bott.
With 506 wins under his belt, Hyeronimus went on to win the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes on the Waterhouse and Bott-trained Shout The Bar in 2020 before his highly-publicised ban.
The 32-year-old, who hadn’t ridden since September 2020, spent his time off as a labourer, working for a tree company in Sydney.
With his suspension up in January, Hyeronimus returned to trackwork, making a low-key return to the races at Ipswich on May 10 before riding at Goulburn on Friday and winning at Kembla Grange on Saturday.
Landing the win for the Waterhouse and Bott team made the moment even more special for Hyeronimus.
“I couldn’t be happier with the people that have supported me through my difficult time, and they are still there for me now, which is great,” Hyeronimus said.
“(I am) very pleased to ride my first winner back for Gai and Adrian; they’ve been there every step of the way through my suspension, checking in and making sure I’m keeping active and mentally doing well.
“Not only that, Tim Martin, who’s been a great help every week, speaks to me, and those trainers have been a big influence on me, and I’m really pleased to ride it for Gai and Adrian.”
Hyeronimus admitted to putting on some kilograms during his break and that he is slowly but surely getting back to his normal riding weight.
“Not really, to be honest,” Hyeronimus laughed when asked if he had looked after himself during his time off.
“I let myself go, and the last six months, sort of before Christmas, I was working away at it.
“It’s been a long grind, and I haven’t put too much pressure on myself, and thus far, I am still riding a little bit heavy at the moment, just to take it steady and do things properly.”
Hyeronimus will be back in action at Newcastle on Tuesday, with the Sydney-based hoop set to take two rides on the provincial program.
