Even Griffiths himself cannot put a finger on why his stable excels on the third day of the world-renowned spring carnival at Flemington.

His success on Oaks Day goes back to 1996, when he won the first greys race. Since then, the former jockey has won the Country Cup on two occasions and a sprinkling of other races during the week at Flemington.

The Quarterback showed the depth of quality he possesses when he came from a long way back to gather in his rivals, in a startling performance that was not lost on his trainer.

"He's an exciting horse, he's got a massive finish and when he unleashes it, like he did today, he's exciting to watch," Griffiths said. "I was concerned with how far back he was in the run, but I can see that Matthew [Allen] had a good hold on him and he knows that he can time a run like that on him, so he's got a lot of belief in the horse and he knows his capabilities.

"If he had been niggling him a little bit, then I would've been concerned, but he wasn't and I was pleased that he must have been OK with him."

It was a finish that confused many, as Wild Rain looked to have stolen a winning break. However, The Quarterback's finishing burst was too strong, overhauling Wild Rain in the last four strides.

"My confidence had gone south pre-race with the horse's peak – he's in great order, he'd been set for this race, this is the race we wanted to win, but when the rain was hurtling down, he'd won on a slow six ... at Caulfield but we thought he was a bit lucky." Griffiths said.

"We've always thought with his speed and sectional times, he would've been a better horse on a dry track. It's nice to be wrong."

The Quarterback will now head to strong summer sprint races, mainly at Flemington.

Jockey Allen was also full of praise for the performance.

"I was pretty confident coming into today, but when the rain came, I wasn't sure because I'd never ridden him on soft ground," Allen said. "I thought it was going to slow the others down too. He's just got an amazing turn of foot.

"I was last early and actually got to the outside rail, where I wanted to be, and was following Fab Fevola. I thought he'd have to stop at some point. I drifted out a little and got off the outside fence and from then on went really well.

"With the blinkers on and 1000 metres down the straight, it just makes him a bit more 'on' and I know that if he can stay in touch he'll outsprint them in the end."

Stewards downgraded the track to a heavy nine midway through the meeting.

Wild Rain battled well to be second, with Office Bearer third.