Avdulla plans happy homecoming with flying mare Two former Melburnians return on Friday night with one aim - to taste group 1 victory in their home town for the first time. Brenton Avdulla is now a leading Sydney rider and the flying grey mare Arinosa, once an inmate of the Danny O'Brien stable, is prepared by Sydney maestro Chris Waller. The pair are looking to cause an upset in the Manikato Stakes, the highlight of Moonee Valley's evening meeting. Avdulla already has three wins at the highest level - Secret Admirer, in the Flight Stakes and Epsom Handicap, and Ilovethiscity in the Randwick Guineas - all for trainer Grahame Begg. But he has yet to record one in the city in which he grew up having begun his apprenticeship at Caulfield with John Moloney. Brenton Avdulla riding Arinosa. Arinosa has been described as the most improved horse in Australia. A year ago she won the novelty Greys Plate on VRC Oaks day, in which she beat the likes of Dash For Viz and Run Diego. Admirable as those two are, they are well below group-race quality. But the daughter of Dash For Cash has come on in leaps and bounds since, winning four times in five starts although she was subsequently disqualified in the listed Wenona Girl Handicap at Warwick Farm in March. Arinosa showed she was as well as ever with a win in the group 2 Premiere Stakes at Randwick earlier this month. Avdulla acknowledges she is up against the cream in the Manikato Stakes, with the likes of Hong Kong raider Lucky Nine, Samaready and Buffering in the field, but he is optimistic she will run a big race. "She deserves her chance to step up," he said. She's gone from getting beaten at the provincials to win a midweek race, then into Saturday company and she won, then into stakes company, group 3 and then group 2. She deserves a shot at a group 1. It's always difficult to win these sort of races but I am on a horse with a lot of ability. Chris [Waller] has kept raising the bar and she keeps jumping it. She's as sound as she's ever been. I am just the pilot, so I can't take much credit for the improvement, but it's great to be on her.