The Lee Freedman-trained Zubbaya showed a VRC Oaks program was justified when she broke her maiden status with a tough effort after racing wide at Sandown.Placed at her first four starts, the Sheikh Mohammed-owned filly started favourite but was caught three deep in the Primavera Hcp (1600m) and kept coming to wear down Very Cherry to score by a half-head with Kittens 1-3/4 lengths away third.Zubbaya gave apprentice Jake Noonan his 20th metropolitan winner and his claim will be reduced from 3kg

The Lee Freedman-trained Zubbaya showed a VRC Oaks program was justified when she broke her maiden status with a tough effort after racing wide at Sandown.

Placed at her first four starts, the Sheikh Mohammed-owned filly started favourite but was caught three deep in the Primavera Hcp (1600m) and kept coming to wear down Very Cherry to score by a half-head with Kittens 1-3/4 lengths away third.

Zubbaya gave apprentice Jake Noonan his 20th metropolitan winner and his claim will be reduced from 3kg to 2kg after Wednesday.

But he admitted it was not one of his best rides on the three-year-old daughter of Irish 2000 Guineas winner Dubawi.

"I would probably give myself two out of 10 for that ride," Noonan said.

"But the best thing about it was that she had plenty of room."

Stable manager Sam Pritchard-Gordon said Freedman had paid up for Zubbaya as a second declaration in the Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield on October 13 to keep his options open heading towards the Oaks (2500m) at Flemington on November 4.

"We sent her up to Brisbane to winter and she did very well up there and Lee's always had a very good opinion of her," he said.

"She's struggled to break her maiden but did it today. She did it tough and got over the line.

"There's plenty of her so she should hold up during the preparation.

"She did so much wrong early (in the race) you'd like to see her relax a bit more going forward."

Trainer Anthony Cummings also has Oaks plans for Bride Salama who finished strongly to take out the Figure Hcp (1000m), also breaking her maiden status.

The daughter of Australian Guineas winner Al Maher, having her fourth start, was sent out at $13 in the small field of six and ridden by Michael Walker, got up by a neck from Anguissola with race favourite Tassa Avanti 1-3/4 lengths away third.

"She was very strong late. She's a really nice filly and Anthony's had high hopes for her," Cummings' Melbourne stable foreman Graham Woolston said.

"She's heading towards the Oaks, she's got a nice turn of foot and I'm looking forward to seeing her over further."

Walker was impressed with the $90,000 purchase from the 2009 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

"She had a lot of shin-soreness as a younger horse but still ran a fourth and third in Sydney and was a little unlucky in the race in Brisbane," he said.

"I know it was only a 1000 metres today but she raced like an Oaks horse. She gets back and drops the bit.

"Craig Williams whipped around me on Robbie Laing's horse (Serene Tanie) before the corner and she didn't mind, she just sat there settled.

"But when I asked her, it was there."