Leading southern mare Coulee continued her hot run of form and that of Brian and Shane Anderton when she successfully defended her Gr.3 South Island Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes title at Riccarton.

The five-year-old was given a copybook ride by apprentice Jacob Lowry to claim top honours on Saturday in the Valachi Downs-sponsored feature, which the father and son training combination also won in 2015 with Include.

Coulee travelled comfortably in the trail and the chestnut rounded off her effort strongly in the straight for the ninth victory of her 28-start career.

The winner of the Gr.3 White Robe Lodge Stakes three runs back, she was then freshened to run fourth in an open sprint.

"She's been racing very well and at Wingatui the other day she just found the 1200 metres too short, but she hit the line strongly," Shane Anderton said.

"She had been working well and she's a pretty versatile mare, she goes on just about any sort of ground and she's very honest."

Completing an outstanding result for the stable was Fascinate, who passed her toughest test with a bold run for second.

"She won four on the trot before Wingatui where she may have been over the top so we put her in the paddock to freshen her up and she's come back well," Anderton said.

Dontpokethetiger, the only three-year-old in the race, gave a great sight in front and she boxed on gamely to take third money ahead of Fairlight and Miss Three Stars.