Darren Weir was poking around his farm in Maldon when he spotted a horse with a good action who looked fit and well.
Upon further investigation he discovered the horse was Kenedna, a talented mare that had been sent to the farm to spell before heading to the breeding barn.
"She was a great three-year-old who was unlucky not to win a group one," Weir said.
His mind slipped into overdrive as he contemplated whether the group 2 winner who was placed in a group 1 as a three-year-old could return to racing.
Weir rang part-owner Mick Johnston, who hails from Leongatha, and posed the question as to whether that option might be worth pursuing and Johnston was open to the idea.
After checking with the other owners he told Weir to get her back into work and cancelled the truck that was due to pick her up three days later.
He knew he had a talent but it was a matter of whether it would rediscover what she had showed previously.
Weir did not waste time discovering whether she was going to measure up placing her in the group 2 Let's Elope Stakes at Flemington where he battled to 11th spot.
She showed signs at her next start and then finished second in the group 3 Ladies Day Vase at Caulfield before failing to measure up against the other mares on Derby Day.
On Saturday however the five-year-old broke through for her first win since her comeback when John Allen drove her through a gap late to score at 9-1, edging out Miss Siska and Luvaluva to win the group 2 Matriarch Stakes.
"It's a dream result," Weir said.
The win brought up the treble for Weir and a double for John Allen, who won the Victoria Derby on Saturday on Extra Brut.
It was also Kenedna's seventh win in 21 starts, with the win coming 18 months after her most recent win in May 2017.
Now breeding plans are on hold for the daughter of Not A Single Doubt, who is also out of Miss Dodwell, with Weir suggesting the Brisbane Cup next winter might be a suitable target.
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