Gold Coast trainer Leon Morton left Doomben aiming for the stars after his leg-troubled galloper Mr Slick returned to winning form with an action-packed victory in the $50,000 Asthma Queensland Handicap (1400m).Mr Slick, aided by a perfect Joe Bowditch ride, scored a convincing half-length win over Special Voyage and Bazooka but then had to survive a protest from Ken Pope who rode the fourth placegetter Sommersea Drive.Pope was forced to severely check Sommersea Drive shortly after straightening

Gold Coast trainer Leon Morton left Doomben aiming for the stars after his leg-troubled galloper Mr Slick returned to winning form with an action-packed victory in the $50,000 Asthma Queensland Handicap (1400m).

Mr Slick, aided by a perfect Joe Bowditch ride, scored a convincing half-length win over Special Voyage and Bazooka but then had to survive a protest from Ken Pope who rode the fourth placegetter Sommersea Drive.

Pope was forced to severely check Sommersea Drive shortly after straightening and he argued the main contributor to the incident was Bowditch when making his run on Mr Slick.

Stewards acknowledged Sommersea Drive was hampered but countered that the winning margin and the distance between that horse and Mr Slick wasn't enough for them to uphold the protest.

Morton said Mr Slick would be spelled immediately and reluctantly declared the horse would be aimed at the $1 million Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm on June 6.

"You'll probably laugh at me when I say that but he will get into the Stradbroke with the light weight and he's a very good horse when he's right," Morton said.

"He's probably the best horse I've had. He's proven that and he keeps taking the next step.

"He has a few niggling problems with his joints and he swims a bit and is always in ice but he's a very good galloper and I'll give him a let up now and get him ready for the carnival and the Stradbroke."

Earlier, highly-rated Brisbane apprentice Owen Turpin was rewarded for his hard work and diligence when he notched his first metropolitan treble.

Turpin has been a tireless toiler at the Sunshine Coast and his work ethic attracted the attention of Melbourne Cup and Golden Slipper-winning jockey Larry Olsen who has taken the youngster under his wing in recent months.

Turpin's treble took his tally to six wins in the past eight days and the well-mannered hoop showed poise and judgment beyond his youth in winning on Banana Split, Winsome Loot and Honour Happy List.

Apprenticed to Frank Phillips at Caloundra, Turpin can comfortably take his full three-kilogram allowance off horses weighted on the minimum and his services will be in high demand during the coming months.