So it was a thrill for the Tamworth-based trainer when all three picked up placings in their respective races.

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Dawn Lover (third), Anubis (first), and Maly Malt (first) ran well on a heavy 10 track that did not make life easy for most of the horses or the jockeys.

"I wasn't sure about Anubis, because he has no wet track form at all," Grills said.

"That was probably a bit more of a surprise, whereas Maly Malt had won on a wet track, so she had form. And the other mare [Dawn Lover], I don't think she'd ever run in the wet, so she was a bit of a mystery."

To Grills' surprise, all three ran very strong races, and left her "very pleased" with the day's work.

Arguably the most shocking result was Maly Malt's win. During an interview with Sky Thoroughbred Central after Anubis' victory and before Maly Malt's run, Grills said the new mare "trialled okay", but "wouldn't say her work's brilliant".

But the four-year-old was the oddsmakers' pick, and proved why with a narrow win after leading for the entirety of the race.

"It was a good, tough win," Grills told the Leader.

"She did a lot of work early and fought right to the line. She led all the way, it was really tough."

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