Soft Sand retrurned to winning form on her home track at Caulfield

Soft Sand achieved the first leg of a double that has been six months in the planning when she won Saturday's $100,000 Kevin Hayes Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.

Trainer Colin Little has long had the Listed race in mind for the daughter of Dansili and is now looking forward to the second leg, the Group 2 Angus Armanasco Stakes (1400m), also at Caulfield, in a fortnight's time.

“We have been hanging around for this race for a long time because we turned her out pre-spring and brought her back specifically for this and the Angus Armanasco (Stakes),” Little said.

“Even though she had a run in December, we've been targeting this race for nearly six months.”

Soft Sand atoned for a third placing at Caulfield on Australia Day, the first defeat of her career, when she showcased her impressive finishing sprint to power to an emphatic win.

Despite settling closer than she had at her three earlier starts, Soft Sand was still able to show an explosive turn of foot when asked by jockey Damien Oliver to career away from her rivals midway down the straight.

Given an easy time of things by Oliver over the concluding stages, Soft Sand ($4.60) had 2-3/4 lengths to spare over star Kiwi filly Anabandana ($2.80 fav), who fought on well for second after racing wide early, on the line with Glows ($12) a short head away third.

Oliver said fitness gained from her previous start and dropping 4.5kg to 55kg in the Kevin Hayes Stakes played its part in Soft Sand's performance.

“She was just a little bit underdone last start and was badly served in the weights with 59kg,” the jockey said. “It was a real sit and sprint the other day, whereas today she just camped on the leaders lovely.

“She was going enormous coming to the turn and she came out and put them away pretty easily. It was pretty painless.”

Soft Sand's win completed a winning double for Oliver, who earlier teamed with General Rippa to win the Patinack Farm Blue Diamond Prelude for the colts and geldings.