Golden Slipper winner She Will Reign showed she could handle the older horses, get around the tight Moonee Valley track and was “the real deal” winning the 2017 Moir Stakes under the lights first-up.

She Will Reign held on narrowly to win the 2017 AJ Moir Stakes at Moonee Valley. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

The Gary Portelli-trained three-year-old daughter of Manhattan Rain didn’t have much to spare on the line in Friday night’s Group 1 $500,000 Moir Stakes (1000m) over runner-up Viddora ($31), but She Will Reign ($4.40) impressed plenty coming from well back in the field to win.

“We were hopeful she was the real deal, and she’s proved it tonight, that was an amazing run,” Portelli told the media post-win on Moir Stakes Night.

“I underestimated her myself.

“I said to the owners, ‘Be prepared, this is first grade tonight. It’s a lot more difficult than usual’.

“She’s done the job.”

The Lloyd Kennewell-trained I Am Invincible mare from South Australia Viddora was also first-up, last seen running second back home at Morphettville on May 6 in the Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m).

There was nothing in the Moir Stakes finish and before the official results were announced, connections of the eventual runner-up thought they had got the Group 1 win.

They had to settle for second again however as the photo showed She Will Reign had got there first by a nostril flare, giving the ace filly a second elite level success at her first run outside of Sydney.

It was an all-female Moir Stakes trifecta with the Lindsay Park-trained Sheidel ($9) continuing her good 1000m record with a close third, only three-quarters of a length off the young champion.

Race favourite Russian Revolution ($3) finished second last (12^th) after jockey Hugh Bowman went out too hard, too fast aboard the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained four-year-old.

Winning trainer Portelli was thrilled with the return of She Will Reign, who has now won over $2.8 million in prize money over her six career starts, as she heads towards a run in the inaugural $10 million The Everest (1200m) at Royal Randwick on October 14.

“I’m thinking [in the run] let’s just look after her, and make sure there’s something left in a couple of weeks’ time, and he [Kerrin McEvoy] gave her a click-up at the 600m, and she went to that gear we know she’s got,” Portelli said.

“I didn’t think she’d won, but she knows how to win, another Group 1, and this [The Everest] is going to be a lovely race in a fortnight’s time.”

Her Moir Stakes success, the second in as many years for the three-year-olds following that of Extreme Choice in 2016, has seen She Will Reign firm in futures The Everest odds online at Ladbrokes.com.au.

She now sits second at $5.50 behind Chautauqua ($4.60), who runs second-up today at Royal Randwick in the Group 2 Premiere Stakes (1200m).

Kennewell meanwhile turned to Twitter after the brave second form his mare, hoping she too could earn one of the final remaining slots in The Everest field.

“Hopefully someone’s watching that’ll give us a slot in The Everest,” @KennewellRacing tweeted.

To back She Will Reign next race and check out the full The Everest 2017 betting markets head to Ladbrokes.com.au now.

2017 Moir Stakes Results & Finishing Order

Moonee Valley Race (9:30pm) – 29/09/2017