BELLE of Portugal (Mikayla Weir) scored her first win since July 2018 and her first for new trainer, Muswellbrook's Stephen Gleeson, when she stormed home late in the Pirtek Muswellbrook Benchmark 58 (1280m) on Friday.
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Gleeson took over the mare in January and she was having her fifth start for him following a spell.
Weir let the mare drop out to third last before she started to edge forward from the 600m and land on the rails
In the straight she was blocked for room and Weir had to ease around heels to the centre of the track.
In the last 100m Belle Of Portugal ($15) charged to beat the favourite War Cat by three quarters of a length.
The win came as no surprise to Gleeson.
"I thought her last two runs, particularly her last one at Scone, showed she was getting back to form," he said.
"I thought she was going to win that race but she got swamped late."
The horse was switched to Gleeson from Peter Eggleston when that trainer had to undergo surgery.
"Apparently Peter is taking a break from training until he recovers and the owners rang me out of the blue and asked me to take the horse," he said.
"Dad trained a horse for them when I was 15, just before I started my apprenticeship."
Gleeson had a good day, finishing fourth with Forbidden Palace in the maiden and third in the Class One (1000m) with Wrongfully Wrong.
