After battling it out for group one glory in the NSW Breeders Challenge three-year-old fillies in October, Major Delight and Eye Keep Smiling set up another big clash in Wagga on Sunday.

Both were resuming in the heats of the Riverina Championships on Tuesday after Eye Keep Smiling inflicted just Major Delight's third career loss from 19 starts.

While Major Delight had more of a fight on her hands, holding off Eye Keep Smiling's stablemate Not To Be Denied to win by a half neck, Eye Keep Smiling put on a dominant display.

Trainer-driver Luke McCarthy couldn't have been happier with how she resumed after electing to take early cover from another group one winner Jewel Melody.

"First up I was concerned about Bernie (Hewitt's) filly (Jewel Melody) as it raced a good race at Bathurst and is match fit while we hadn't had a run since October," McCarthy said.

"If it turned into a staying test I thought he might beat me but I know how fast this filly is and you know Bernie's horse is always going to get you where you want to go.

"I was thrilled to drive her that way first up from a spell with a sit and she just absolutely jogged it."

Eye Keep Smiling ($1.60 fav) went on to down Jewel Melody ($2.50) by 5.3 metres in a mile rate of 1:55.6 for the 2270 metres.

McCarthy is confident there's a lot more to come.

"She travelled really good in the run and I eased her down going to the line," he said.

"We're looking forward to the finals on Sunday."

Eye Keep Smiling produced the faster time in the two mares heats but Major Delight, who clocked a mile rate of 1:56.2 from the front, produced a faster last sectional zipping, home in 26 seconds.

Former Leeton reinsman Mark Pitt believes she will benefit from her heat run and can turn the tables in the $100,000 feature to keep her unbeaten record at Wagga.

"It's usually pretty hard first up from a spell only having one trial, as unfortunately the trials got called off last week so she missed out on a run, so we were probably going in just a fraction under done but she will be cherry ripe for the final," Pitt said.

"She will benefit a lot from that run and there's a few days until Sunday so I'm sure the team will have her a little bit better than she was today."

Meanwhile last year's Riverina Regional Championships winner Brooklyn Bridge returned to the scene of his biggest win for more success.

He took out the first of the entires and geldings heats for former Riverina pair Jarrod Alchin and Cameron Hart.

However they had to settle for second with Missed The Truth in the second heat after being unable to run down McCarthy's Don Hugo.