Despite a perfect getaway which saw him cross to the fence and settle behind the early leader from barrier five, Gilgandra-trained Bizarro ($13) looked like being a victim of circumstances after being checked twice during running in Monday's Cowra Diggers Cup.
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But four kilogram-claiming apprentice Elissa Meredith rallied and Bizarro finished strongly to take out the feature event.
Trained by Bryan Dixon at Gilgandra, Bizzarro arrived in the shadows of the winning post to defeat Byzantium (Anthony Cavallo, $9.50) while Dubbo trainer Allan Gibson's Alaskan Aura (Ken Dunbar, $9.50) finished in third place.
Race favourite Miss Devinci (Qin Yong, $2.60) was slow away and wound up in fourth with Scalded (Simon Miller, $8) running home hard from the tail of the field, finishing on the heels of the placegetters.
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From barrier five, young Meredith had Bizarro perfectly placed on the rails behind Byzantium before being checked as the field approached the home turn.
Checking off the heels of the leader in the straight Bizarro finished strongly for the win and continue a trend of close finishes at the meeting, including a dead-heat in the Benchmark 74 Ken Andrews Memorial over 1375 metres.
"I got him off Kody (Nestor) in fine condition," Dixon said of his new arrival after the cup win.
"I gave him one bit of fast work and he pulled up with a bit of a problem so I put a tongue tie on him and it seems to have worked."
Meredith said her four kilogram claim was probably the difference between winning and losing.
"When he got clear he let down nice," she said.
Apprentice Meredith made it win number five in her short career in the Diggers Cup.
Hometown trainer Andrew Molloy was a popular winner in the day's final event as he saluted with five-year-old gelding Valarian.