First Win for More Joyous Half-Brother

Entered for the Group I VRC Victoria Derby, the half-brother to champion mare More Joyous cast off maiden status at Canterbury on Wednesday.

Three year-old Fastnet Rock colt Lewis was having his third start in the 1550 metre maiden and showed the benefit of recent racing to score a tenacious win.

Second at his previous outing, the Chris Waller trained blue blood led all the way and fought hard to the line to win by a head at his third start.

"He's taken a while to switch on, but he's been very well looked after and continues to improve with racing," said Waller.

A homebred for John Singleton's Strawberry Hill Stud, Lewis is the sixth winner from Group I ATC Australian Oaks winner Sunday Joy, whose best offspring is $4.5 million earner More Joyous who won 21 races including nine at Group I level.

Now aged 20, Sunday Joy has a two year-old filly by More Than Ready (USA) called Greatest Joy and a yearling filly by the same sire, although no foal this year as she missed to Pierro last spring.