Racing: Wealth Princess back to her explosive best

Top-flight New Zealand mare Wealth Princess returned to her brilliant best with an explosive performance at Doomben.

She was beaten when odds-on favourite at her first Queensland start at the Sunshine Coast.

But trainer Brent Gillovic and rider Michael Walker kept faith in the San Luis mare and she repaid them with a dominant win in the A$150,000 Group Three Glenlogan Park Stakes (1350m) yesterday.

Wealth Princess ($4.20 eq fav) travelled three deep with a trail just off the speed and exploded when Walker released the handbrake and held off the fast-finishing Jerezana ($4.20 eq fav) to win by three-quarters of a length.

Melbourne mare Flying Tessie ($12) turned in a solid performance at her first Brisbane start to finish 1 lengths back third.

While clearly elated his pride and joy was back to her best, the win was bittersweet for Gillovic.

He will lose the mare to Lee Freedman at the end of this preparation as big-spending Sean Buckley has bought her.

"She had a lot of knockers at home after her last start but that's Kiwis for you and I'm rapt she silenced them today.

Gillovic didn't rule Wealth Princess out of a Stradbroke start but he would prefer to start her in the Dane Ripper on June 5 and then head to the Winter Stakes.

The win further cemented Walker's decision to relocate to Brisbane and the former champion New Zealand apprentice said the timing was perfect.

"It's my first city winner since I moved over here and to do it in a group three race is even better".

Mike Moroney issued punters with an unexpected warning about Marheta's Queensland Oaks prospects following her game win in the $175,000 Group Three Doomben Roses.

Marheta ($5 eq fav) enjoyed the run of the race, third on the fence, behind eventual runner-up Femina Fashion ($11) and responded gamely to Mark Zahra's urgings to notch a three-quarter length win.

The Bart Cummings-trained Dariana ($5 eq fav) ran home well from well back to finish the same margin away third.

All three placegetters will likely face off again in the Oaks (2400m) on June 5 but Moroney warned punters Marheta would need a good barrier and luck to get the distance.

Moroney will be chasing his second Queensland Oaks victory after former topline filly Eskimo Queen won the feature in 2007.

Trainer Chris Waller hopes Metal Bender can carry him to even greater heights in the Cox Plate in the spring after the 4-year-old gave him the sixth Group One win of his career in the Doomben Cup.

Metal Bender looked gone for all money at the top of the straight before jockey Kerrin McEvoy drove him home to score by a head over the gutsy Gai Waterhouse-trained mare Gold Water.

Metal Bender's stablemate Triple Honour finished only a short half-head away third.

The Doomben Cup victory was Waller's fourth Group One of the season and capped a remarkable day for the Sydney trainer who earlier won the Group Two Champagne Classic with Pressday and prepared Stryker to win the Group Three Fred Best Classic.

Pressday, ridden by Nash Rawiller, stormed down the centre of the track to down Toowoomba colt Spirit Of Boom by 1 lengths.

Buffering's unbeaten run came to an end when he finished 1 lengths away third.

Waller bought Pressday for $38,000 at the Inglis Classic yearling sales in Sydney last year.

Waller is uncertain of his spring plans with the son of Domesday after he completes his winter mission aimed at the Group Two Sires' Stakes (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 5 and the Group One TJ Smith (1600m) a week later.

- AAP