Promising three-year-old Once Were Wild gave prominent owner John Singleton and trainer Gai Waterhouse something to cheer about at Canterbury on Friday, a day before the long-awaited return of star filly More Joyous.Once Were Wild, who started $2.25 favourite, handled the step up to metropolitan class with ease with a comfortable frontrunning 2-1/4 length win over Shadow Miss in theraces.com.au Handicap (1580m).The Johannesburg filly races in Singleton's famous blue and white Strawberry Hill Stu

Promising three-year-old Once Were Wild gave prominent owner John Singleton and trainer Gai Waterhouse something to cheer about at Canterbury on Friday, a day before the long-awaited return of star filly More Joyous.

Once Were Wild, who started $2.25 favourite, handled the step up to metropolitan class with ease with a comfortable frontrunning 2-1/4 length win over Shadow Miss in theraces.com.au Handicap (1580m).

The Johannesburg filly races in Singleton's famous blue and white Strawberry Hill Stud Syndicate colours, the same as his Group One-winning filly and Once Were Wild's stablemate More Joyous who lines up in the Light Fingers Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.

"That's great for John, he's looking forward to tomorrow and he's got this one today to cheer about," Waterhouse said.

"He's up in Queensland at a pub and was cheering her home and I'm sure he's now shouted everyone in the pub a beer."

Ridden by three kilogram-claiming apprentice Ben Looker, Once Were Wild was handed the lead on a platter by her opposition from her outside alley, eight.

From there Once Were Wild controlled the tempo and despite veering out on straightening she had too much class for her rivals.

Once Were Wild's victory was her third straight after a couple of wins at Newcastle and she has now won three of her four starts.

"She's a lovely horse who is coming along nicely, she'll go to Randwick for an 1800 metre race on the 26th (February)," Waterhouse said.

The Bart Cummings-trained Redoutebelle, who started at $4.80 in the McGrath Foundation Lunch Plate (1900m), could not have been more impressive in breaking her maiden status.

Redoutebelle was given a charmed run by Hugh Bowman and had too much class for her rivals, defeating Philosopher by 2-1/4 lengths with Newstart three-quarters of a length away third.

The ride was a pick-up for Bowman who replaced Blake Shinn who has a virus but is expected to be back at Randwick on Saturday.

Out of the Zabeel mare Zazabelle who was third in the 1999 Melbourne Cup, Redoutebelle now has a win and three placings from her 11 starts.

Lioncub gave trainer Allan Denham his first city winner since his father, famous trainer Jack Denham, died in December.

The three-year-old edged out Flying Spin by a short head to win theslipper.com.au Handicap (1250m).