FROM a hospital bed and deep depression, Port Macquarie jockey Allan Chau has made it back into the winners' circle.
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Chau broke his neck for the second time last year at a race meet in Grafton.
The hoop has gone through extensive rehabilitation to return to the saddle and it took just 10 rides to notch up his first win on Monday at Wauchope.
He won race three at the Lasiandra Cup race meet on Terminal Five.
He followed that up in the next race with an impressive win in the feature race on Ality.
Chau said the wins took a lot of weight off his shoulders having struggled to gain rides with local trainers.
"I haven't been able to have a lot of rides since I came back," he said. "A lot of the trainers are saying they want to see how I go first.
"And you can't blame them. They have to look after themselves and their business.
"It messes with your head there's doubt in their mind if I'm back to my best and as a result that started to put doubt in my mind, but the wins have given me a lot of confidence."
Chau said it was his last crack to make a name for himself in the industry and said another major injury could see him walk away from the sport.
"I have been training hard and just trying to give myself the best chance for one last crack," he said.
"I don't want to be 100 per cent fit, I want to be 110 per cent fit.
"But another serious injury and I don't think I'll be back.
"Some say I'm brave, some say I'm an idiot but all I see is what I love doing and I'm going to give myself the best chance."
He said the his injuries, the death of his mentor Pat Quinn, whom he affectionately called Boss and the recent death of Nathan Berry all weighed heavily on his mind.
"I've been looking at stuff like that, but I've been given the opportunity to do what I love and have another crack.
"So let's do it," he said.
"I could be sitting at a bus stop and get run over, I'm a firm believer in when your time is up, it's up."
Chau was due to ride Sharky for Marc Quinn in the last race at a Port Macquarie meet yesterday.
Grab Friday's Port News for a full report from the day