The ANZAC Day event is the biggest meeting staged each year at Bathurst’s Tyers Park and while Lister was not able to take out the feature race – the $20,000 Soldier’s Saddle – he was still a jockey in form.

His first win came in the opening race of the day – a Benchmark 73 Handicap in which Lister rode the Anthony Olsen Rosehill trained Likefatherlikeson ($3.40).

Lister helped Muswellbrook trainer Mack Griffith find success with Pesci ($8) in a Class 3 Handicap, but it was his winning ride on Reiby Grand ($6) that drew the best reaction.

Reiby Grand became the first winner for Hawkesbury’s Jason Attard and both he and his parents who were track side could not have been more excited.

“I have only been training for five or six months, that was my first ever winner,” Attard said before raising his arms in triumph.

“I do everything with him, I broke him in, I ride him in track work, I even strapped him myself.”

The betting on the Bathurst RSL Club Maiden Handicap (1400 metres) indicated just how close the race was expected to be with five members of the 12 horse field in single figures on the NSW TAB and eight in single figures on course.

Reiby Grand, a three-year-old by Heeby Reiby out of Reiby Royale, was rated a good prospect but it was a member of Marc Conners’ Hawkesbury team, Ravissant, who held $3 favouritism.

While another Hawkesbury runner, Smart Money, went looking for the lead in the early metres of the race it was the Brett Thompson Mudgee trained Barletta who settled in front.

The filly sat three-quarters of a length in front of Freddy with the favourite Ravissant not far behind, but as they went beyond the 850 metre mark the moves came.

Miss Arianna was guided forward while Freddy took over the lead, but at the same time Mathew Cahill got clear with Ravissant after travelling the first half of the race along the rails.

Ravissant nosed ahead down the home straight but Reiby Grand came hard and in his last stride Attard’s chance beat out the favourite.

The margin between the two was a long neck while third placed Tipsy Tina ($5, Michael Travers) stormed home after being a long way off the pace in second last during the middle stages of the race. She was a further 11/4 lengths back.

Lister, who had never ridden Reiby Grand in a race before but had trialled him at Tyers Park, said he always had belief in the gelding.

“He trialled behind So Genourous and So Genourous went on to win after that, I was quite happy to be on him today, I thought he was a really good chance,” Lister said.

“He did find the line quite nicely, he travelled along well and felt comfortable in the run. He was a bit further off the pace than what I thought he might be, but I was quite happy because he was going along well underneath me, that was the main thing.

“When I asked him for an effort at the 600 he responded well ... the only trouble he might of had was if something flew home out wide, but I wasn’t too worried about that, I was concentrating on what I needed to do.”

Now Reiby Grand has shed his maiden status, Monday’s win coming in his seventh start, Lister expects more success will come his way.