Chris Symons produced a textbook front running ride to ensure Cool Diva registered her third victory from 17 starts in the $30,000 Leica Show 0-89 Handicap (1400m) for fillies and mares at Betfair Park Sandown Hillside on Wednesday.

Trained by the partnership of Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra, Cool Diva jumped straight to the front from barrier three and set only a moderate tempo in the lead.

Seemingly unpressured, Symons timed his run to perfection aboard the four-year-old mare to win comfortably on the line.

Cool Diva ($5-$6.50) defeated Apennine ($5-$6) by one and a quarter lengths to secure her first win in the metropolitan area with Sparks Fly ($3.20-$3.50) a further length and a half away in third.

Favourite Poco Gusto ($3 fav) finished over three lengths from the winner to finish fourth.

“It was a good front running ride,” Ellerton said before adding “Although it’s a pretty long straight here I felt pretty confident at the corner that’s she’d be able to quicken up and be hard to run down.”

After winning first-up at Ballarat, Cool Diva finished fifth at the same venue a fortnight ago and Ellerton believes the track may have not been to her liking.

“I think it might have been a bit too firm last start, she doesn’t like it heavy but with the sting out of the track she’s ok,” he said.

Cool Diva is by little known Argentinean sire Ice Point out of the stakes winning mare Viva La Diva who won a listed race on debut at Flemington over 1100m before finishing twelfth of 15 runners in the 1999 edition of the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) behind Redoute’s Choice and Testa Rossa.

She has now accumulated $65,918 in prizemoney over her career of which $18,363 was added to her tally after today's win.

Pictures: Sportpix