After being told to retire All Legal, Kevin Moses sought a second opinion and the horse defied the odds to score a career-best win in the Group Two Villiers Stakes at Warwick Farm.

The six-year-old emerged from the middle of the pack in Sydney's feature race of the summer and arrived just in time to defeat Alma's Fury by a nose with Darci Be Good a gallant third, three quarters of a length away.

All Legal's victory on Saturday gave Moses the distinction of winning the race as a trainer as well as a jockey.

But the greater satisfaction was being rewarded for his faith in the gelding who had what appeared to be career-ending problems last year.

"Around 12 months ago he had problems and I had a vet look at him and he had five chips in the knee," Moses said.

"He said `you might as well just retire him', but I got a second opinion and the other vet said he could operate. And this is what he's come back as."

All Legal's win in the Villiers (1600m), which carries an exemption for next year's Doncaster Mile, capped a preparation which also included a Listed win at Hawkesbury two starts ago.

Glyn Schofield held All Legal ($20) up for a final charge at the line and he was able to get the bob in to deny the Paul Murray-trained Alma's Fury ($14).

"That horse I beat (Alma's Fury) has had an outside barrier its past three or four runs and I said to the Murrays before the race, `how come you keep drawing so bad?'

"But thank goodness he drew bad again today," he said.

Favourite Galah ($6) came out of the gates among the tail enders and never threatened while last year's winner Monton settled in a handy spot but couldn't go on with the job under his 59kg topweight.

Paul Murray said Alma's Fury had done himself proud as had third placed Darci Be Good ($41) trained by his father Bede, with the pair jumping from gates 15 and 16 respectively.

"Both horses went enormous. If they had drawn an alley they would have run one-two," Paul Murray said.

Moses, who won aboard King's Ideal in 1979, praised the navigation of Glyn Schofield while the jockey lauded the training performance.

"He is a credit to Kevin and Jenny the way he was turned out today," Schofield said.

"He's probably not the best horse in the world by any means but he's a gutsy performer."

"He's not big, he looked a bit rough in the (parade) ring, but I'll tell you what he looked great in the winner's stall."