KEY POINTS:
It had been a while coming, but Twinkling's $40,000 First Sovereign Trust Thames Cup victory vindicated co-trainer Royce Dowling's faith in the mare.
Twinkling put back-to-back wins together in the winter last year, including the Cornwall Handicap at Ellerslie, but before that had been winless since she took the Bonecrusher Stakes at Ellerslie in October 2005.
But through it all Dowling and his training partner daughter Linda Laing knew they had a top class racemare.
She just needed things to fall her way.
And they did yesterday.
Hard tracks have worked against Twinkling and Thames' spongy surface was great assistance as she charged down the centre of the track for comeback jockey Mark Du Plessis.
"I thought if she wasn't handling the firm tracks I'd turn her out, but she can keep going now," said a delighted Dowling.
Twinkling's Great Northern Foal Stakes win as a juvenile, her Bonecrusher Stakes victory and a luckless sixth in Wahid's Derby have all shown her to be better than an average handicapper and the stable will carefully plan the next stage of her campaign.
The win was also a big boost for Mark Du Plessis, who has had mixed fortune since returning from his premiership reign in Singapore.
Two concussion-related injuries sidelined him for a lengthy period and it is only in the past few days that he has rejoined the winners.
Twinkling joined in at the 200m and her momentum carried her past the favourite Gallions Reach to win by a head.
Smartway was even more impressive winning the $26,000 Woodstock Bourbon Sprint. She came so quickly at the favourite Belle Joie in the short home straight that her momentum carried her past by two lengthsfor the Moroney stable.
Earlier, the Moroney stable produced another impressive winner when Sing Song Girl, a likely Oaks prospect, powered away from her rivals in a R70 2000m event.
