Jockey Michelle Payne has answered her critics with her third Group One victory, on her favourite filly Yosei in the Thousand Guineas at Caulfield.Trainer Stuart Webb admitted he was "criticised and teased" about sticking with Payne after she was beaten earlier this month on Yosei in the Flight Stakes in Sydney but was rewarded with Wednesday's result."It probably did cross my mind to (replace her) ... but I feel vindicated for putting Michelle back on," Webb said.Yosei was always wide in the Fl

Jockey Michelle Payne has answered her critics with her third Group One victory, on her favourite filly Yosei in the Thousand Guineas at Caulfield.

Trainer Stuart Webb admitted he was "criticised and teased" about sticking with Payne after she was beaten earlier this month on Yosei in the Flight Stakes in Sydney but was rewarded with Wednesday's result.

"It probably did cross my mind to (replace her) ... but I feel vindicated for putting Michelle back on," Webb said.

Yosei was always wide in the Flight Stakes but Payne plotted a path along the rails to victory in the Thousand Guineas.

It wasn't until halfway down the straight that she found a run off the fence and the diminutive filly, who started at $11, dashed through to score running away by two lengths from Heartsareforlove ($151) with Brazilian Pulse ($4.80) a length away third.

The Gai Waterhouse-trained More Strawberries was heavily backed from $4 to $3.50 favouritism but could only finish sixth.

Payne said she felt the pressure leading into the Thousand Guineas, mindful that it may have been her last chance to stick with Yosei who she has ridden every time bar one of her 10 starts since she won her debut at Benalla in February.

Two of Payne's three Group One wins have been on Yosei with her other success at the elite level being on the Bart Cummings-trained Allez Wonder in last year's Toorak Handicap.

Payne, 25, said she had worked out a plan to win the Thousand Guineas and when she walked the track expectations grew as she knew that Yosei was drawn to win in barrier five.

"I got more nervous when I walked the track because I saw the advantage she had," Payne said.

As with even the best plans it didn't quite go to script when one of the horses she wanted to follow, More Strawberries, missed the start.

However the other part of the plan, to track another Sydney filly Alittlebitofmonica, worked out.

"I was able to get onto the back of that filly and there were a couple of tight little runs coming down the side which she (Yosei) took," Payne said.

However Payne gave up on a rails run in the straight which proved a winning move.

"A tiny little gap opened and she was able to push her way through," Payne said.

"I knew when she got the run she'd really quicken up.

"She loves that ground and once she got the run and she got her head in there I knew that I had it. She really sprinted through it and won well.

"She's just a little star and I love her."

Payne said she was grateful for Webb's support.

"I know that if I had made another mistake it would have been easy for them to get somebody else which is probably why the pressure was a bit higher today," she said.

"I'm just so glad that she could get the coin and that's probably why I showed so much emotion after the win."

An assistant to trainer Robert Smerdon, Webb is a farrier by trade and Yosei is among only a handful of horses he trains.

He said the VRC Oaks was a goal but he was mindful of ensuring that the campaign didn't harm Yosei's longevity as a race mare.

"It would be great to go and win an Oaks and I think she can, she'd settle and she's tough, but I don't want to destroy her on the way," Webb said.

"She could be a very good mile (1600m), mile-and-a-quarter horse (2000m) for the next two or three seasons."