Three-time champion jockey Oisin Murphy returned from a 14-month ban with a winning ride at Chelmsford.
The Irish rider won on 15-8 favourite Jupiter Express, trained by Michael Appleby, in a six-furlong handicap.
Murphy, 27, was banned for breaches of Covid-19 rules and for twice being above the alcohol threshold.
“I made many, many errors. I was given a period of time to think about that and come back with a different mindset,” he told Racing TV.
“Hopefully in the next year and following years, I can prove to be the person I’d like to be.”
To continue to hold a licence, Murphy must undergo regular testing to ensure he remains sober and avoids drugs.
“It’s been a long time but it’s brilliant to be back on the racecourse and to ride a winner as well will help,” added Murphy.
“Hopefully that instinct will come back quickly. I’ll make every effort to make sure I’m riding as well as I can.”
Murphy is due in Qatar at the weekend to ride Flaming Rib for trainer Hugo Palmer, with trips to Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain also pencilled in over the next few weeks.
He has spoken about his previous alcohol issues, telling the BBC last year he drank so much he had blackouts and feared it could end his racing career.
Murphy voluntarily gave up his licence to seek support when he was charged by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) in December 2021.
He faced five charges, two relating to failed tests for alcohol in May and October and separate counts of misleading or attempting to mislead the BHA over his location from 9-12 September 2020, as well as accessing a racecourse in breach of Covid protocols and acting in a way that prejudiced the reputation of horse racing.
The Irishman had gone on holiday in September 2020 to the Greek island of Mykonos, which was on the Covid red list at the time, but he had attempted to convince officials he had been at Lake Como in Italy.
