Smerdon had just the two mounts and did not ride a winner -although he did go close.

Of course he would have preferred to get a win, but at the end of the day he was just happy to be in the saddle again after five months on the sidelines.

Smerdon broke a leg in a race fall in October last year and still carries a plate and couple of screws in the leg.

Smerdon, who has ridden just the 13 winners as an apprentice to his uncle Robert Smerdon and still claims three kilograms, said his time out of the saddle had been most frustrating - especially given that he had to spend a sizeable

slice of it off his feet.

He said he had only been back riding trackwork about a month and admitted before his first ride back on maiden Rapidane Star to have a few nerves.

Rapidane Star ($21) raced up on the pace early before dropping out to beat only three home in the 13-horse field.

Although he did not finish as close to the business end of the race as he wanted to, Smerdon was relieved just to have that run under his belt.

It was different story two races later when General Stanley ($4.40) almost gave Smerdon the perfect return in a class one, 1200m.

After sharing the lead, the Robert Smerdon-trained General Stanley worked away to a handy lead down the home straight.

However, with General Stanley drifting off the track, Racing Demon ($12) worked through on the inside to get the verdict by a neck and continue the great run of Geelong apprentice Ricky Debono.

Rye trainer Lee Freedman had a quinella with two handy youngsters in the Reliable Mortgage Two-Year-Old Maiden, 1200m, but not in the order expected.

First-starter Latino ($12) ran down the well-fancied Falloir ($2.05 favourite) to grab victory by a short half head right on the line.

The Tony Vasil-trained Dai Ichi ($4.20) was third.

Bangholme trainer Brad Marzato had a winning double with debutante Dane Empire ($2.50 favourite) in the Ballarat Holden Three-Year-Old Maiden, 1200m, and Raphael in the Value Tyres Class Two, 2000m.