The Anthony and Sam Freedman stable had concerns before Argentia made a winning return at Caulfield that she may have been underdone.
But the filly’s class shone through in the Group 3 Kevin Hayes Stakes (1200m) on Saturday when she got up in the last stride to score a first-up win.
Ridden by Mark Zahra, Argentia ($8.50) scored by a nose from the $3 favourite Scorched Earth with Asfoora ($6.50) three-quarters-of-a-length away third.
Argentia created a huge impression with her debut win at Flemington in June and was the early favourite for the Group 1 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield last spring.
But a disappointing first-up effort at The Valley in September, which threw up a problem post-race, saw the daughter of Frankel off to the sidelines for the spring.
“She pulled up with an issue at The Valley and we were bitterly disappointed and it is just good to see her return,” Sam Freedman said.
Freedman said the stable was not expecting the filly to produce the performance she did on Saturday
“She was not screwed down for this and we wanted to give her a nice return,” Freedman said.
“She was very fresh in the yard, she was having a good sweat and we just wanted her to drag up behind them and finish off.
“She’s a very, very good filly and we’ve got some decisions to make now where we head, and she’s got a very bright future.”
Zahra, who was returning from a careless riding suspension, was impressed with Argentia’s will to win.
“When I went through the race, I thought she’s better than these,” Zahra said.
“She’s a very good filly because I thought halfway up the straight she was feeling the pinch, but she’s got a will to win and when she got a sniff of victory, she took it and she won well.”
