FORMER Argentine galloper Vroom Vroom raced his way into Group 1 company with a commanding win at Flemington yesterday.

A virtual no-hoper on right-hand tracks in Hong Kong, where he was unplaced in eight of his nine starts, Vroom Vroom is unbeaten in two Australian runs for trainer David Hayes.

The impressive front-runner clocked 1:21.8 for the 1400m of yesterday's Leonard Handicap after being tackled early by favourite King's Champ, who reeled off a speedy sectional of 10.85sec between the 1200m and 1000m.

"The other horse (King's Champ) put up the flag early, he (Vroom Vroom) was entitled to stop," Hayes said.

"He'll go to the Australian Cup now via the Futurity.

"I'm not sure he's an Australian Cup horse, but the handicapper will see to it he is finished in this class."

Vroom Vroom won an Argentina Guineas running from the front, clocking 1:33.6 for the 1600m in 2003.

"Looking at the tapes in Argentina, he was a superstar," Hayes said.

Vroom Vroom ($3.80 to $3.40) looked above average yesterday.

"The Hong Kong people won't believe this," Hayes said. "He was just hopeless that way of racing, instead of going north-south he was going east-west, he spent all his energy trying to hang out."

Vroom Vroom chalked up Hayes's 50th Melbourne win for the season, a worthy milestone in his first season back after a decade in Hong Kong.

Leading jockey Craig Williams said Vroom Vroom was a lovely strider.

"He was very dominant," Williams said.