The trainer turned out to be a better judge than the jockey as Impetuous scored a first-up win in the $100,000 Mona Lisa Stakes at Wyong on Friday.
Appreciating a race-record tempo set by Capital Commander and No Looking Back, Impetuous made a run from the rear of the field to claim a breakthrough black-type victory that caught jockey Brenton Avdulla by surprise.
"I didn't think she could come here today and win to be honest," Avdulla said.
"I thought she trialled very well the other day but I expected her to run well without winning."
But trainer Clarry Conners said he had targeted the Listed race because of Impetuous' affinity with Wyong, a track that has its idiosyncrasies.
"She loves this track, that's why I brought her back because she won her first race here," Conners said.
"It gives me a lot of satisfaction today because I know what she can do and I kept saying to Brenton 'we'll get there, we'll get there with her'."
Impetuous will next race in the Tibbie Stakes, the feature race for fillies and mares during the Newcastle Gold Cup carnival.
"We've got that little bit of black type with her now so it's great," Conners said.
Circling the field, Impetuous swept to the front when the leaders collapsed, leaving Unimpeachable to finish 2-1/4 lengths second with Regal Thunder another half length away third.