Keano showed racegoers his true ability and he signalled himself as a likely spring carnival contender when he romped to victory in the listed $75,000 QTC Lightning Handicap (1000m) at Eagle Farm today.

A highly regarded member of the Danny O'Brien stable, Keano sat just off the speed before accelerating brilliantly when asked in the straight to streak clear.

By the time he reached the finishing post the margin over Black Ink was two and a quarter lengths. Last start Brisbane winner News Alert was third.

While delighted with today's victory, Flemington's Danny O'Brien was left to ponder what might have been.

"If everything went according to plan I thought he could have won the Stradbroke," O'Brien reported.

'But things didn't go as we planned and he wasn't able to win his way into the race."

"This (win) will help us in placing him later in the year when we look at the spring carnival with him."

But before he heads back to Melbourne with the country's premier carnival on his agenda, Keano will have another run in Brisbane.

"He'll run in the Group Three race over 1200 metres in a fortnight," he said referring to the $175,000 WJ Healy Stakes.

By leading New Zealand sire Pins, the sire of Cox Plate champion El Segundo, Keano is a half brother to O'Brien's former promising filly Be Delicious.

Their dam O'Really, a winner over 1200 metres by Centaine, is a three quarter sister to Critic and half sister to O'Reilly. Both are Group One winners.

Keano's second dam is none other than Courtza - the Golden Slipper and Blue Diamond Stakes winner by Pompeii Court.

PIC - Quentin Lang.