Injury-plagued sprinter El Magico repaid Adelaide trainer Lloyd Kennewell's perseverance with a Flemington victory in Saturday's All Victorian Sprint Series Heats.
El Magico's win was his fifth in just seven starts after hamstring and suspensory injuries forced the rising five-year-old off the scene for lengthy periods.
"My gut feel was that the best we are going to get him is 95 percent," Kennewell said.
"I reckon he was probably just off that today."
Kennewell said El Magico had been in work seven months before his third in the Listed Manihi Stakes (1000m) at Morphettville, which preceded his win in the fifth heat of the All Victorian Sprint Series (1000m).
El Magico raced handy to the speed before running home too well for honest three-year-old Planet Voyage ($6.50) and consistent speedster Broken ($13).
The trainer said El Magico would "feel the run tomorrow" but would enjoy a break before a spring campaign.
Darley provided the winner of the sixth heat of the series when Bello ($4.80) posted a smart win over the $2.60 favourite Club Command .
Jockey Vlad Duric parked Bello behind the leaders for the first 800m before the son of Exceed And Excel fought hard to win by a nose.
"He showed a lot of ticker," trainer Peter Snowden's representative Alan Johns said. "He handles any sort on conditions too."
The Darren Weir-trained Magnifique Soleil ($19) ran home well from the back of the field for third, a length behind the winner.
AAP