Gai Waterhouse believes the penny has dropped with $2 million yearling buy Seventh Reason after watching him score a dominant all-the-way first city win at Canterbury.It was a big day for Waterhouse at the inner-city track on Wednesday when she celebrated a winning treble with Judicial scoring after stablemate Stratofortress gave her a race-to-race winning double following Seventh Reason's victory.Waterhouse admitted she needed to lift her game after a slow start the season by her stable's lofty

Gai Waterhouse believes the penny has dropped with $2 million yearling buy Seventh Reason after watching him score a dominant all-the-way first city win at Canterbury.

It was a big day for Waterhouse at the inner-city track on Wednesday when she celebrated a winning treble with Judicial scoring after stablemate Stratofortress gave her a race-to-race winning double following Seventh Reason's victory.

Waterhouse admitted she needed to lift her game after a slow start the season by her stable's lofty standards.

Sydney's premier trainer is now eight wins behind leader Chris Waller in this year's title race.

"I let them (horses) get away from me. I slackened off them when I was in Melbourne," Waterhouse said.

"So I just put the work into them and today is the evidence that work has paid off. Credit goes to my staff who have done a wonderful job with these horses."

Four-year-old Seventh Reason has been in the spotlight since he came into work and has taken a while to click into gear.

He broke his maiden status at Kembla Grange last month and his victory at Canterbury was the second of his 10 start career.

Seventh Reason was rated perfectly in front by Kathy O'Hara who picked up the ride when Josh Parr fell ill after the opening race.

O'Hara was told before the race not to use the whip on the Sadler's Wells entire who is out of the Sunday Silence mare Sunday Joy, and the advice reaped rewards.

Seventh Reason, who was a massive drifter in betting from $6 to $11, led comfortably before kicking away on straightening, going on to defeat The Patriot by 2-1/2 lengths in the Computer Air Handicap (1900m).

Owner John Singleton was straight on the phone to Waterhouse after the race.

"I just spoke with John and he said 'he's a $2 million horse and you only won that'," Waterhouse said.

"I told him 'I'm telling you this horse is a preparation away'. I've got so much time for this horse it's not funny.

"He won like a horse in the making. It's taken a little while for the penny to drop with him.

"My foreman Steve told Kathy not to hit him with the whip, just ride him hands and heels and boy did that work out well."

Trainer Grahame Begg had mixed emotions after winning the opening race of the day with Cabernet.

Begg was sporting a blood splattered shirt after the race courtesy of Cabernet who bit him on the left arm when he was saddling her up.

On the track however, Begg could not have been more pleased with the Al Maher three-year-old who was having her second start.

Despite travelling three wide for most of the race Cabernet flew home to defeat Ionica by 1-3/4 lengths.