The Stawell trainer, who works alongside her father Terry, wore 1700-metre maiden plate winner Vatiaz’s colours trackside as she watched her runner snare a narrow triumph at Warrnambool on day two of the carnival.

O’Sullivan was thrilled for the three-year-old bay filly’s connections.

“One of my girlfriends bred the horse herself and she has a local syndicate in it and there all here on her on a bus from Stawell today,” she said.

Vatiaz ($18) defeated Mitchell Freedman-trained Vanilla Gold ($3.80) and the Andrew Payne-trained Sadia ($10) in the third race on the card.

“We were confident in her work and what she’d done. The track was an unknown quantity,” O’Sullivan said.

“We always try (and get a winner at Warrnambool). It is always difficult at carnival time but you can only do your best and try and place.”

O’Sullivan rated hoop Jack Hill’s ride near perfect.

“It was 10 out of 10 for the ride, there’s no doubt he certainly pulled one out there,” she said.

“Jack has ridden her before...we’ve known Jack for a long time and he was fantastic today.”

Hill saved enormous ground cutting the home turn.

"I didn't think the ground was that bad. I didn't want to be the first to go there but when Michelle Payne did that was good enough for me – she's won a Melbourne Cup," he said.

"That won us the race, by hugging the fence and saving all that ground. It's great to win a race for Terry and Karina O'Sullivan.

"I'm just enjoying being here, winning is a bonus. This time last year I was laid up in hospital.”