Mahisara has backed up his trainer's confidence to defend his title in the Group Three Sandown Stakes.

Mahisara won the race at Sandown last year and trainer Paul Messara targeted the 1400-metre event again at Caulfield on Saturday.

"I was very confident," Messara said.

That confidence may have eased a little mid-race when the leader Lady Of Harrods had Mahisara ($5) under pressure coming to the home turn, but the five-year-old entire responded when jockey Craig Williams asked him for an effort.

He proved too tough in winning by three-quarters of a length as the leader tired to finish fifth.

Go The Knuckle ($26) ran on from back in the field for second with Galah ($5) a neck away third.

"The leader was travelling and we were kind of off the bridle coming to the 600-metre mark and I was surprised," Messara said.

"She (Lady Of Harrods) was travelling that well and put in a fair kick, but our horse was tough.

"The plan was to come down here and target this race and then go back to Sydney and head towards the Villiers. I'm happy we were successful today."

While Mahisara made it back-to-back wins in the event, Williams made it three in a row after winning on Under the Eiffel in 2011.

Next month's Group Two Villiers Stakes (1600m) is the feature race of the Sydney summer.

"He's a horse with a lot of potential. It's just about finding the right races for him," Messara said.