Ciaron Maher was quick to thank former trainer Darren Weir after brave mare Kenedna got a rails run to win the Group One Doomben Cup.

Kenedna ($10) stormed home to beat Life Less Ordinary ($7.50) by three quarters of a length with a long head to Sixties Groove ($21) third in the $700,000 race.

She was only the third mare after Cinque Cento (2007) and Streama (2014) to win the Doomben Cup since it switched to weight-for-age in 1990.

Weir trained Kenedna when she won the Doomben Roses and finished fourth in the Queensland Oaks in 2017 during her last visit to Queensland.

Maher and his co-trainer David Eustace inherited Kenedna when Weir was disqualified on jigger charges earlier this year.

She has now won two Group One races for them as she also took the Queen Of The Turf Stakes at Randwick last month.

At her first run in the winter, Kenedna ran ninth in the Group Two Hollindale Stakes at the Gold Coast two weeks ago.

However, Maher said the five-year-old had not been suited by the heavy track.

“She was much better suited on a drier track today. As you saw it gave her a chance to show her acceleration,” Maher said.

He said he wanted to pay tribute to Weir who had several of his horses go to the Maher-Eustace training partnership when he was banned.

“Kenedna arrived in great condition and was a credit to Darren. The fact we could win (at Randwick) with her was a bonus,” Maher said.

“But it was Darren who convinced the owners to go on with Kenedna rather than send her to stud last year.

“She has now won two Group Ones and is a very valuable broodmare.”

Maher also paid tribute to former Irish jockey John Allen who scored his fourth Group One win for the season on Kenedna.

Allen mixes flat riding with going over the jumps and also had a long association with Weir.

“He got the run at the right time and it was a great ride,” Maher said.

It was Maher's second Group One win for the season and his third at Doomben.

“I love coming here in the winter. I have won a Derby (Ruthven) and a Stradbroke (Srikandi) at Doomben so it has been a great track for me,” he said.

Allen said he had a perfect run and he decided not to go too early.

“When I went for her she really attacked the line,” he said.

Jason Collet, who rode Life Less Ordinary, said he had to go back from the bad barrier and had to weave a path through the field.