Former Scone trainer Peter Snowden felt for Newcastle trainer Kris Lees but he was proud to win the Max Lees Classic (900 metres) for a second time on Saturday.
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Peter and Paul Snowden-trained filly Tilia Rose, a $3.40 favourite, held off Lees-trained Redoute's Image by just under a length in a track record time of 51.05 seconds.
It was the third running of the race for two-year-olds held in honour Kris Lees' late father, the champion Newcastle trainer.
The Snowdens won last year when Strasbourg defeated the Kris Lees-trained Snowzone.
"I'm very pleased and very proud," Peter said.
"It's a shame Kris ran second. His really put in a great run, but it is what it is, and we're very proud to have won this race again. We're rapt."
"This filly goes quite good. You see the time she run and the way that she won, and there's a fair bit of upside to her yet.
"Her trials were good and she's got a good pedigree, from a fast family."
Snowden spoke last year of how honoured he was to win the race named after his good friend, who he almost had as a boss.
"I knew Max really well," said Snowden, who rode "a fair bit" for Lees during his days in the saddle.
"I spent some time in Vic Thompson's stables and I was coming back to Newcastle to be apprenticed to Max Lees.
"While I was on holidays at my parents, a trainer at Scone, John Noonan, approached me to go with him. He was a good family friend so I went with Johnny.
"I've got no regrets, I've been extremely lucky all through my riding and training career, but it would have been great to work with Max because he's a bloke I could have learnt a lot off.
"As a trainer, he was always there, and he was just a good friend, so it's a pleasure to win a race in his honour."