Scholarly schooled his rivals in race two, a 3200m maiden hurdle, winning from the Anthony Freedman-trained Bakery Hill and Ciaron Maher's runner Exemplar at the crowd-free meeting.

Scholarly has shown a liking for the Warrnambool track, also winning a maiden on the flat over 1700m at Warrnambool on June 2017.

Waterhouse, who was thrilled to score a win for daughter and owner Kate, said the "penny had dropped" for Schoarly.

"I raced him with some people from Hong Kong and when he wasn't going as well on the flat, they said 'we've had enough'," she told The Standard.

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"I thought I know he can jump and I said 'do you want him to jump?'.

"They weren't keen to do that. I thought I've persisted this long with him, I may as well try him as a jumper."

Waterhouse, who employed Warrnambool-based jockey Shane Jackson to race at the 'Bool, said "time and patience" were key.

"He (Scholarly) wasn't very fast...the penny dropped and he hasn't looked back," she said.

"He raced in the lead-up to the Andrew Ramsden where he ran poorly and he then ran at a trial a week later and he then came to the races today three days later.

"He was an exceedingly fit horse going into the race today."

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