Sydney's glamour mare More Joyous announced she was back to her best with a brilliant return win in Saturday's Group Two Canterbury Stakes at Rosehill.More Joyous ($2.90 fav) raced below her best in a three-run Melbourne spring campaign but in her first Sydney start since last year's Doncaster she called on her fighting qualities to defeat Monton ($21) by 1-1/4 lengths with Metal Bender ($81) an eye-catching third just a head away.In a star-studded Group Two weight-for-age field, More Joyous set

Sydney's glamour mare More Joyous announced she was back to her best with a brilliant return win in Saturday's Group Two Canterbury Stakes at Rosehill.

More Joyous ($2.90 fav) raced below her best in a three-run Melbourne spring campaign but in her first Sydney start since last year's Doncaster she called on her fighting qualities to defeat Monton ($21) by 1-1/4 lengths with Metal Bender ($81) an eye-catching third just a head away.

In a star-studded Group Two weight-for-age field, More Joyous settled just in behind the speed before jockey Nash Rawiller peeled her into the clear at the top of the straight.

Rawiller cuddled the five-time Group One winner for as long as he could in the 1300m event before the mare let down strongly to notch the 16th win of her career.

"I've never heard Gai (Waterhouse) say this before, but she told me today to keep in the back of my mind that she (More Joyous) was not 100 per cent fit," Rawiller said.

"I cuddled her for as long as I could and she dug deep and was so courageous.

"I felt she was on her reserve fuel in the last 100 metres but she just kept giving."

More Joyous has only been beaten once in Sydney since August 2009 and that was in last year's Group One Doncaster Mile when she failed with topweight on a heavy track.

The aim will be to win the Doncaster this autumn.

"It was just good to see her come back well and I'd love to see her win a big race like the Doncaster," Rawiller said.

Watching from the grandstand, trainer Gai Waterhouse thought More Joyous may have been in trouble turning for home.

"But she just said `I will not be beaten' and that's what I love," Waterhouse said.

"You saw it earlier with Pierro (in the Todman Stakes), really that heart that you can't buy.

"It was a really good effort and in the end she made it look easy."

More Joyous is set to run in the Group One Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1500m) next before progressing to the Doncaster (1600m) and Group One Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).

Villiers Stakes winner Monton moved around to challenge More Joyous in the straight but jockey Craig Newitt felt his run ended 150m out as More Joyous fought him off.

"He ran super and he's a genuine Doncaster hope," Newitt said.