Jockey Grant Buckley admittedly had to resort to 'plan B' during Monday's $22,000 John Davis Motors Maiden Handicap (1100m) but that didn't stop the slow-starting Solva ($3.60) from breaking his maiden at Towac Park in the second of the day.
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The Bjorn Baker-trained gelding was tardy out of the gates as it jumped dead last but had plenty in the tank on the home straight as it swooped past Bethpage ($3.50) and Miss Baltimore ($3.40), the latter being the daughter of decorated mare, Starspangledbanner.
And that's who all the betting money came for late as the Joseph Pride product turned the heads of punters in the shadows of the event.
It looked as though the volume would be warranted with 200 metres to go as Miss Baltimore held a narrow lead over her adversaries before Solva had his final say on the extreme outside.
"Coming to the corner I had to stoke him up a little bit," Buckley said.
"I think he's still very new and very raw among the horses... he's still learning his trade but once I got him into clear running, you could really feel him focus and hit the line hard."
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There was also success on Monday for Dubbo trainer Connie Greig.
Gossip ($6.50) got the job done for Greig in the Angullong Class 1 Handicap - Heat of the Rising Stars (1400m) as she overcame an awkward draw to battle home to win by half a length.
There had been a real firm for Gossip, who had been $13 earlier, and the win also sent jockey Mikayla Weir to the top of the Rising Star series.
It was Weir's first win of this season's series and has her sitting on 10 points, ahead of Louise Day (nine) and Chris Williams (eight), after four rounds.