The promise Limes showed during a spring campaign last year wasn't enough to save his manhood but it helped lay the foundation for his win the $150,000 Hawkesbury Guineas on Saturday.

"He's got very good form from the spring but we gelded him at the end of it because he was a bit of a lad," Darley Australia boss Henry Plumptre said.

"On his day when he gets the run he likes he's a very good horse."

Limes went into the Guineas as Darley's second-string chance behind Complicate but he emerged as a potential Brisbane winter carnival horse as he doubled his career wins.

Aided by Christian Reith's deft navigational skills, Limes ($10) made a late dive to claim the Listed race by a head from Boban ($5) with Ashokan ($21) finishing only a nose away third.

The blanket finish included New Zealander Platinum Kingdom (fourth) and Complicate, the well-tried $3.20 favourite who finished fifth.

Reith said Limes had raced just like he had been working on the track since he finished third behind Platinum Kingdom in the South Pacific Classic at Randwick.

"It was good that he turned up today doing what he has been doing at home," Reith said.

Plumptre insists Limes is a long way from being at the end of his campaign.

"I think he's earned a trip to Queensland now so we'll see what we can find up there," he said.

"Something like the Queensland Guineas would seem the right race for him."

Limes' victory gave Darley two of the three feature races at Hawkesbury with Aerobatics claiming an upset victory in the Crown, a race the international thoroughbred empire sponsored.