Pied A Terre continued Peter Snowden's domination of Victoria's 3YO features

All that today's $180,000 Group 2 Hyland Race Colours Autumn Stakes (1400m) did was underline the strength of Peter Snowden's three-year-old stocks.

Darley's head trainer produced ultra-consistent Pied A Terre to score a convincing win the traditional Australian Guineas lead-up event, but said it was unlikely that the gelding would head to the $750,000 event at Flemington on 3 March.

Snowden is content for star colt Helmet to carry the stable's hopes in the 1600m Guineas.

“He won't be going to the Guineas, but we've just got to weigh up whether we stay here or take him back to Sydney,” Snowden said.

“It'd be good to have two chances in it (the Guineas), but I'm just not sure what to do with him yet.

“There are options back in Sydney, more there than here really, but the thing about him is he won't race for three to four weeks. That's the key to him really, just keeping him fresh.

Pied A Terre bounced back from what remains his only defeat, when second against the older horses in the Listed Chester Manifold Stakes on January 14, to register his fourth win.

Jockey Mark Zahra rode an aggressive race to put the son of Ad Valorem outside leader Collar in what was a slow tempo before taking control of the race early in the straight.

The gelding, well backed to start $3.80 favourite, quickly kicked more than a length clear and maintained that for much of the run to the line, scoring by three quarters of a length from the previously unbeaten Proliferate ($14) with Adamantium ($10) just a half-head back third.

While Zahra described Pied A Terre as a “grinder”, he was impressed by his ability to find a couple of lengths when asked.

“When he was able to find that couple of lengths at the top of the straight, he was always going to be hard to beat,” Zahra said.

The full result of the Hyland Race Colours Autumn Stakes is available here