A horse partly owned by Shane Warne has scored the first win of its career and the jockey has paid tribute to the legendary cricketer's memory.
Warne died of natural causes last month aged 52 and his loss was felt keenly by many across the world of sport who wanted to pay their respects to him.
Jockey Noel Callow rode horse Sacred Oath to victory at the 1200m race on the Gold Coast and celebrated his win by performing a bowling action in tribute to Warne.
Advert
Fans of the cricketer picked up on the gesture and thought it a fitting dedication from Callow as he celebrated Sacred Oath's first career win.
The horse has already had an eventful career, having been pipped to the post in its first race before a dramatic incident at Ipswich saw Sacred Oath pushed into the running rail by other horses, dislodging jockey Ryan Maloney from the saddle.
Sacred Oath had been the favourite to win that race which ended in what the Herald Sun called a 'traumatic experience'.
Advert
In the end it was third time lucky as Callow steered the horse to the front of the pack and dominated the race from start to finish, an ideal response to the difficulties of Sacred Oath's second race and a chance for all involved to pay tribute to Warne.
Any early doubts as to whether Sacred Oath would still be nervous about competing following a disastrous second race were dispelled with the horse's dominant display and a promising racing career lies ahead.
According to the Daily Mirror, Warne was persuaded to invest in the racing horse during a game of poker with friends and put some money towards the three-year-old colt.
Advert
Jarred Magnabosco, spokesperson for the horse's ownership group, explained that he was buying a horse and a mutual friend persuaded Warne to get on board with the investment.
Friends of Warne who have also invested in the horse include AFL stars Campbell Brown, Jobe Watson, Trent McKenzie and Jake Lloyd, as well as actor Shane Jacobson and presenter Hamish McLachlan.
Brown praised Sacred Oath and trainer David Vandyke for a 'very sentimental win' and said he hoped Warne had enjoyed the victory.
Many had been waiting for the horse to win so they could kick off another round of tributes to Warne and dedicate the victory to his memory.
Topics: Sport