Wanganui visitor She's Poppy upset the applecart when she stormed home to score at outside odds in Saturday's Landmark Homes sponsored rating 75 1600 metre event at New Plymouth.

The Alamosa five-year-old was fresh-up for a new campaign as she registered win number four at just her 14 ^th start and her second on the tricky New Plymouth surface following a victory in similarly heavy track conditions back in September last year.

Matamata apprentice Shaun McKay, who is developing a handy partnership with trainer Raymond Connors, was full of praise for the gritty effort from his charge.

"We got into the best part of the track which is out in the middle as they seem to be struggling on the rail," he noted.

"She likes to get back and find her feet so once I started working on her at about the 1000 metre mark she got going and kept on from there.

"She handles the wet tracks so you will probably see her improving in her next few runs as well."

Connors, who trains and part owns the mare, agreed with views of his rider when questioned about the performance.

"It was a good effort from the horse," he remarked.

"She doesn't carry a lot of condition so you don't have to do a lot with her which makes it easier in a way as she goes better when she's fresh.

"We turned her out for the summer in the hope that when we got her back she would strike the wetter tracks so we're hopeful she can carry on with it during the winter."

Local runner Ladies First, who was backed in to start a hot favourite for the event, tried gamely to match the winner in the run home but had to settle for second with pacemaker Woodbine Ladd battling on nicely to finish third.