Tony Pike would have been more than satisfied if Kelly O’Reilly had run a place at Avondale on Saturday so he was understandably overjoyed when the mare exceeded his expectations.

The Cambridge trainer savoured a great family result when the five-year-old showed her courage to post a determined victory in the Gr.2 NRM/Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes.

Kelly O'Reilly is raced by his parents Wayne and Vicki and as breeders her black type success has significantly boosted her future value when time is called on her racing career.

“She’ll obviously be going to stud at some stage so a win like this is very special,” Pike said.

Kelly O’Reilly had looked like she might be playing a minor role in the race when Moochi Me swept to the front, but she lifted in the closing stages for Leith Innes to take the thick end of the stake.

“I was hoping she would hold on for second and then she stuck her head down and came back,” Pike said.

“I thought there would be plenty of speed in the race and Leith rode her perfectly. She really deserves this – she’s a good, honest mare.”

The winner of seven races, Kelly O’Reilly had weighed in three times from her four lead-up starts and had a genuine excuse for sole failure.

“Last time out at Ellerslie she was in season so we gave her a week in the paddock to freshen up,” Pike said.

”Jason Waddell rode her during the week and he said her work had been fantastic. She can’t handle too many runs on firm tracks, but there will be a nice race for her over the Ellerslie carnival.”

Triumph turned to tragedy for the connections of Moochi Me, who handled a sharp rise in class to finish second, after she was found to have bled during the race.

Kisses was third and Pussy O’Reilly did well to run fourth after a slow getaway and was subsequently declared a late scratching as her barrier was slow to open.