Wagga jockey Nick Heywood rated the top-weight to perfection as Cha Cha King ($2.30) raced away with the $23,000 Rodney Parsons OAM Handicap (1400m).

Cha Cha King ran third at Flemington last start and dropped back to country grade with success, scoring a one-length victory from Not Too Sure ($13.00), with Bondo ($13.00) a further 1¼ lengths back in third.

Cha Cha King was a winner of the Ted Ryder Cup Prelude in December on the Wagga Riverside track and Wodonga trainer Peter Maher was thrilled to see the five-year-old back in the winner’s stall.

“It’s excellent, it was a really super win,” Maher said.

“The 61 kilos was a lot of weight but his form has been excellent, he’s so honest.

“He loves it here as well, he probably goes better this way than he does the Victorian way.”

Four of Cha Cha King’s six career wins have come at Wagga. 

Maher was also full of praise for the ride of Heywood, who has now ridden Cha Cha King four times for three wins and a third placing.

“He’s a champion,” he said.

“His time in Sydney has done him the world of good.”

Heywood was not surprised by the performance.

“He did it pretty well,” Heywood said.

“He was down in grade coming back from a city race and he ran accordingly.”