Patinack Farm trainer John Thompson paid in-form filly Pear Tart a huge compliment after her upset win in the Group One Tattersall's Tiara (1400m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Thompson feared Pear Tart's winter carnival campaign was over when she hit her head in the float after travelling home from a midweek Eagle Farm win in May.

"I've been working with horses for 22 years and it's the first time I've seen one go on and race after having a course of antibiotics," Thompson said.

"When her head was badly swollen I thought that was it, but she responded so well and every time I've raised the bar with her she's jumped it.

"Everyone just rates her a wet tracker but she showed today she's just as effective on firm going."

Pear Tart ($15) withstood a late challenge from the Guy Walter-trained Skyerush ($41) by a short neck with Gai's Choice ($9) a head away third.

The three-year-old filly gave Thompson his third Group One success for Nathan Tinkler's Patinack Farm operation with previous wins by Gathering and Small Minds.

Pear Tart will be spelled and Thompson will aim the daughter of Dehere at the Group One Myer Classic (1600m) at Flemington in the spring.

"We've thrown her in the deep end today against the older mares and she handled it, so a race like the Myer Classic will be ideal for her," he said.

It was the second Group One win in Australia for jockey Jeff Lloyd, 50, who was recently named Patinack's Queensland stable rider.

The former South African won his first Australian Group One aboard Nom de Jeu in the 2008 Australian Derby and recently returned from a 3-1/2 year stint riding in Hong Kong.

Brenton Avdulla was pleased with the effort of Skyerush to finish second after she engaged in a tense battle with Pear Tart in the final 100m.

"She ran out of her skin and I thought she was going to end up running fourth but she just tried her guts out and that's what got her into second placing," Avdulla said.

Gai's Choice showed her win in last week's Gai Waterhouse Classic was no fluke with her fast-finishing third.

Champion jockey Damien Oliver said Soft Sand ($5.50) was never comfortable racing in the clockwise direction before finishing 15th of the 18 runners.

"It was just too tough from the wide gate for a Melbourne filly having her first go this way of racing," Oliver said.

"The track also isn't suiting horses who get back in the field. For some reason they can't make up the ground today."