More Strawberries has continued Gai Waterhouse's outstanding carnival with victory in the Listed Darley Crown at Hawkesbury.
More Strawberries rebounded from a puzzling first-up failure to continue trainer Gai Waterhouse's outstanding autumn carnival in Saturday's Listed Darley Crown.
More Strawberries' success in the $150,000 feature over 1300m at Hawkesbury brought up Waterhouse's sixth straight Saturday treble.
"Certainly the intention is to be winning but it's not the intention to train trebles. But it's certainly nice," Waterhouse said.
The four-year-old mare left Waterhouse scratching her head after she finished seventh behind Atlantic Jewel first-up in the Sapphire Stakes at Randwick.
But the trainer was able to turn the horse's fortunes around as More Strawberries ($8) came down the outside from back in the field to defeat Ladys Angel ($6 equal fav) by half a length with Potions ($21) a long head away third.
It also continued a successful autumn for owner John Singleton who also races Doncaster and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner More Joyous.
"She's a freak. She can train," Singleton's racing manager Duncan Grimley said of Waterhouse.
Grimley said More Strawberries would likely progress to the Brisbane winter carnival via the Dark Jewel Classic at Scone with the Group One Tatt's Tiara the aim.
Waterhouse said keeping the mare fresh since her first-up failure had been a key to the mare's success in the Darley Crown.
"I kept her very much on the fresh side because I think she needs longer," Waterhouse said.
"I couldn't work out how she ran like she did the other day. She has been working the place down. I think the key might be keeping her fresh because that's what I've done for this race"
Waterhouse earlier won with Samui Lad and Reuben Percival to add to her recent run of success which included seven Group One wins during the Sydney autumn carnival.
Nash Rawiller was aboard in all seven of the Group Ones and was delighted to see More Strawberries bounce back to her best.
More Strawberries took her record to four wins from 17 starts with her other wins in the Group Two Furious Stakes and Tea Rose Stakes and the Listed Tibbie Stakes.
"She travelled really well today and got a nice cart into the race. She's a different horse under those circumstances," Rawiller said.
"The other day she was out of her comfort zone the whole way."
