Zac Purton made his belated start to season 2014-15 a success when Racing Hero scored first-up after a frustrating few weeks for the jockey.

And the surprise victory also helped key supporter Paul O'Sullivan get off the dreaded duck egg with his first win for the term.

Purton missed the opening four meetings of the season after a stray hoof from a rival runner lashing out before a trial caused fractures in his right ankle, and his frustration was amplified by the fact he was able to move freely and felt little pain just days after the incident.

Yesterday the Australian proved there were no ill effects from the injury with his four rides all finishing top three, capped by a polished display on O'Sullivan's eight-year-old.\

"I've been able to walk around every day comfortably, so it was just a matter of getting that all clear," Purton said.

Even so, the 31-year-old wasn't allowed on a horse during the layoff of just over two weeks, and was only given a doctor's clearance on Thursday.

That left just Friday morning for the jockey to get back into race shape and the limited preparation was part of the reason Purton didn't take rides at less than 125 pounds yesterday.

"I had four barrier trials to ride in and three gallops on Friday," he said. "I felt good out there though, my fitness was very good and to be honest it felt like I hadn't even missed a day at the track. I was really fit after riding through the offseason in Japan and then I prepared myself well through the preseason here in Hong Kong. My weight was in a good place and I was really fit and ready to go. If anything I've just had a light freshen-up."

Purton will ride at 121 pounds at Happy Valley on Wednesday, where he expects to have seven rides, and has said he will be back to his optimum riding weight of 120 pounds for eight rides at the following Monday's public holiday fixture.

"I didn't want to go taking light rides and have to lose a lot of weight after not being on a horse for two and a half weeks. It's easier to ease back into it," he said.

For O'Sullivan, there was relief at having got off the bottom of the trainers' championship ladder, with just three handlers now left stationed on zero with five fixtures in the book: Michael Chang Chun-wai, Almond Lee and Peter Ho Leung.

"It's no fun being that last person without a win and having a zero next to your name," O'Sullivan said.

Racing Hero had won first-up previously, and it was freshness combined with a drop back into Class Three late last season that signalled it was time to win again.

"He is just a classic Class Three horse," O'Sullivan said, with Racing Hero now boasting five wins from 14 starts in the grade. "He always runs an honest race in Class Two, but just battles in that company, and that is where he will end up again now."