Sydney’s best miler Racing To Win finally returned to the winners circle after recovering from a setback in March when he landed the $400,000, Group I, Daily Telegraph All-Aged Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday.

The 2006 Doncaster and Epsom Handicap winner, suffered the setback after beating Tuesday Joy in the Apollo Stakes in March and since returning to racing he has finished second behind Mentality in the Canterbury Stakes and the world champion three-year-old Weekend Hussler in the George Ryder.

Ridden by Hugh Bowman, Racing To Win travelled three wide in midfield with Murtajill (Schofield) setting a sold tempo upfront. In the straight Racing To Win showed his customary acceleration to cruise up to the race leader, however Murtajill still had some fight left. Bowman asked for more from Racing To Win and the grey answered strongly as they pulled away to score a strong win.

In the end the margin was a length to Murtajill with Doncaster runner-up Casino Prince a half neck away in third place. The overall time was 1.22.79 and the last 600m was run in 35.95. Racing To Win started at $1.80 with NSWTAB.

Trainer John O’Shea was happy to have his charge back to his best after the campaign went off the rails early on.

“He’s raced really well during the autumn, I’ve been really happy with him all along,” O’Shea said.

“It was disappointing for him to miss the Chipping Norton, it probably cost him a bit, but he has finally got himself fit and on the job today and we know when he is like that he is a great horse.

“They’ve run time today, he’s done it a bit wide and with a bit of authority.

“When they are even money they are good enough to be ridden like that, no need to be pretty and he (Bowman) rode him like that.

“He wouldn’t have won it (the Doncaster) with 58.5kg, obviously it showed that Casino Prince wasn’t that far off him at level weights, he couldn’t give him four kilos and beat it so it wouldn’t have mattered what he had, he wouldn’t have won it.

“I think ultimately he is forced to go there (overseas). If he goes through the George Main and then a bit of a freshen up then onto Hong Kong over a mile, it’s the right handed way of going on the track that he likes with a bit of give in it. If he is going to win a real big race now that’s his race,” he said.

The win was Bowman’s second group one for the day after steered Samantha Miss to victory in the Champagne Stakes earlier on the card.

“I was always very confident, actually when I got to Murtajill i thought i was going to put two lengths straight on him, to his credit he fought hard back,” Bowman said.

“It just means a lot to all the staff involved at John’s to get him to win because he’s a top class horse, he had a little bit of a set back and a long time off so he is just reaching his peak form now. It’s a thrill for everyone.

“I thought he ran a super race last start against Weekend Hussler, at the top of the straight i thought I’m just going to go past this horse but he was just too good for us. It broke my heart to have Racing To Win just give up at the furlong when he couldn’t catch him. To come out and win today, like I said, it means a lot to all of us.”

By Encosta De Lago out of the Kenny’s Best Pal mare Surrealist, Racing To Win is owned by T K Stuckey & Ms P Yan. His record is now 11 wins from 19 starts with six second placings and an overall prizemoney tally in excess of $3 million.