Expressionless (right) handed Dylan Cunha and Kyle Strydom a first win at Epsom (Credit: Alan Crowhurst) 

Kyle Strydom has had only four rides in the UK to date, all of them for Dylan Cunha, and he now has a 50% strike rate after winning on the Intello three-year-old gelding Expressionless in a one-mile-and-half-a-furlong class 4 handicap at Epsom yesterday

Expressionless has won both of his starts this season and was ridden by Strydom both times.

At Epsom in rainy weather the ground would logically be better on the outside of the straight because of the severe camber which slopes from the outside down to the inside.

Strydom from last place in the straight followed the horses to the outside but had to check his mount when he was squeezed out in the scrum on the outside.

He the switched to the middle of the track for a clear run and the gelding took off.

The commentator said, “Expressionless is staying on in fourth, might get second by the looks of things.”

That gave an inkling of how fast Expressionless finished because in the end he caught the likely looking winner about 50 yards from home and won by 1,75 lengths.

More than £15,000 was matched on the Gary Moore-trained Alpha Crucis at odds of 1.01 (1/100) in the closing stages as he appeared to have the race at his mercy under Jason Watson.

It’s a dream come true,” said Cunha, after sending out his first winner at the track. “I kissed the winner’s enclosure turf as he came in. 

“My dad Luiz picked him out for 5,000 guineas and he was the first yearling we bought. He’s now won at Epsom and you couldn’t ask for more than that.

“When he got bunched up on the rail I thought that was the end of it, but once he switched and kicked I knew he would get there as he loves that ground.

“I’ve done a lot of crazy things, but nothing compares to this and I don’t think any winner would. I stood here in 2021 before I started training when I came to the Oaks and I just looked around and couldn’t imagine having a winner here. We were really confident with the ground but you couldn’t imagine it.”

The U.K. is a notoriously difficult place for a jockey to break through in and this is illustrated by the statistics of Strydom and his compatriot Greg Cheyne.

Strydom had his first ride on March 31 and nearly a month later has only had four rides and all for one trainer with whom he has family ties.

One would think the 50% strike rate he is riding to would garner some attention and score him some more mounts, but a look at Greg Cheyne’s experience quickly puts that notion to bed.

Cheyne won on both of his first two mounts in the UK for a 100% strike rate but the ride he had today was his first ride for a week and he his number of booked rides is zero.

Cunha provided him with a ride today at Yarmouth on the yard’s soldier Mr Fayez, who started 85/40 favourite in a five furlong handicap but could only manage a 2,50 lengths fourth.

Strydom has two booked rides, one for Cunha on Expressionless at Haydock on Saturday and one for his official guv’nor Roger Varian at Doncaster on Friday.

Meanwhile. Collen Storey finished second on the John and Thady Gosden-trained second favourite in a four runner race at Wolverhampton.

He has now had eight wins in 88 rides overall.

Cunha’s statistics increased to five wins in 39 runs and hopefully the momentum he has built this season can snowball.