Six-year-old mare Mosh Music has broken a long winning drought in terms of time but not in starts, and put her career back on track, with a strong staying effort at Sandown.
Mosh Music's last win was at Flemington in September 2019 but she was having only her fifth start since then when she took out Saturday's 2400 metre race.
Trainer Archie Alexander said he was confident in the run that the 16-month drought was going to be broken but admitted his view almost changed with 200 metres to go.
At that stage the pair of horses out in front, Stars Of Carrum and Bartholomeu Dias, were still four lengths ahead of Mosh Music.
"There was a moment at the 200 (metre mark) where that gap seemed to be getting bigger and bigger and we weren't making much ground," Alexander said.
"I guess the horses in front went hard enough and it is very steep at Sandown, a tough finish. She just kept on coming, she's very tough and was too good."
Mosh Music took her record to eight wins from 15 starts but after her first nine runs she had won seven.
Alexander said during that winning sequence at the start of her career he felt Mosh Music could have been anything.
He added that getting Mosh Music back to racing after being sidelined for over a year had been a long project.
The trainer confirmed the Adelaide Cup over 3200 metres at Morphettville on March 8 was among the options for Mosh Music this campaign.
"When you look at how strong she was over 2400 metres, I think she'll get further," he said.
Alexander praised the winning ride of Jordon Childs saying he kept her in a good rhythm.
Childs said he was always confident he had the race in his keeping and he was building her gears throughout the run.
"I just know that she gets stronger and stronger as the race goes on. She just kept building through her gears and was too strong in the end," Childs said.
Mosh Music is by Black Caviar's brother Moshe and is out of the tough Jeune mare Dirt Music, who was eighth in the 2007 Adelaide Cup.
Mosh Music ($6.50) finished strongly with backmarker Double You Tee ($4.40) out wide and she defeated him by a half-length with Bartholomeu Dias ($3.80) the same distance away third.