Last season’s champion apprentice, Tom Sherry has made the perfect start to his senior riding career with a Randwick victory aboard the John O’Shea-trained Cotehele.

It was the young jockey’s first Saturday meeting since coming out of his time as an apprentice during the week and he was thrilled to get the monkey off his back so soon.

“The start of the day was a bit rocky but it is always good to get a winner without an ‘a’ beside your name,” Sherry said.

“I suppose just for myself, confidence-wise, now that is out of the way, it’s game on.”

Sherry partnered Cotehele into a minor placing at Scone last start and said the horse’s effort there fuelled his belief he could be competitive in Saturday’s Uphire Handicap (1300m).

Cotehele ($10) delivered, scoring by a length over Titanium Power ($8) with French Marine ($4.40 fav) third.

“I had a lot of faith in him today,” Sherry said.

“He ran really well at Scone last start and Mr O’Shea and the camp have him down-pat. You’ve just got to get him into a rhythm, he can’t be stop-starting, he has got to be really flowing.

“I didn’t want to get there too soon because he is a bit green, so I put the stick away and rode him out but I was always confident he was going to win once he got there and he stuck to the task.”

Sherry was indentured to Mark Newnham during his apprenticeship and said the past week had been a learning curve as he spread his wings and figured out a new routine.

But one thing he doesn’t plan to change is his work ethic.

“Mark always says, ‘talented jockeys can ride winners, but hard-working jockeys ride the best winners’,” Sherry said.